Recently we learned that Tallahassee is home to the poorest zip code in Florida and is one of the most economically segregated communities in the country.  What does this all mean for Tallahassee and what can we do about it?  Join us for this important, solution-oriented discussion with Tim Center, CEO of Capital Area Community Action Agency.

Discussion with Tim Center

Tune in to this episode to hear the alarming statistics about our community's economic segregation and also learn about some possible solutions that are being implemented in our city right now. (Click Play above.)

Learn more about Capital Area Community Action Agency

Learn more about Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin'-By World

Facebook page for Capital Area Community Action Agency

Recent Articles in Tallahassee Democrat on Economic Segregation

There have been many articles in the Tallahassee Democrat lately about the economic segregation in our community. Here are links to some of them:

Amber Tynan: "A tale of two Tallys deserves our attention"

Miaisha Mitchell: "Make a Pledge for Prosperity for All"

Tim Center: "Conversation Helps Build Bridges to a Sustainable Community"

Jeff Hendry: "Developing our skilled talent pipeline is key to addressing our economic segregation"

TaMaryn Waters: "MISSION 32304: Summit in the works as leaders weigh how to help poorest zip code in FL"

TaMaryn Waters: "Florida's poorest zip code is in Tallahassee. For Chamber speaker, it's a rallying cry."

Photo credit for pictures above:  Capital Area Community Action Agency

In the first half of this episode, we cover our 5 favorite lists for where to find local events and experiences.  Then we meet the woman behind one of those lists, Jessica Duncan, owner of Fun4TallyKids.  We talk to Jessica about this valuable resource for Tallahassee families, how she got started in the business, and what it’s like to manage Fun4TallyKids.

1. Tallahassee Arts Guide, produced by COCA

COCA, the Council on Culture and Arts, is the local arts agency for Tallahassee/Leon County and the 100 mile radius around this area. COCA maintains the Tallahassee Arts Guide, an online calendar of hundreds of arts & cultural events and experiences happening in this region.  They also produce a weekly newsletter distributed on Mondays that includes the events and experiences happening that week, usually over a hundred listings each week organized by category. 

You can search by Category – such as festivals, dance, history, music, theater, visual art, literature, workshops & classes, and more.  You can also search by date, so if you’re looking for something to do this weekend, it’s really easy to find a large list of what’s happening.  

The other awesome thing about the Tallahassee Arts Guide is that event organizers can list events for FREE.  It’s easy to do… and you, as the event organizer, get to control the content by submitting the text and images directly on their website.

You can go to www.tallahasseearts.org to access the calendar, sign up for the newsletter, submit your event, and much more.  Be on the look out for an upcoming episode with COCA’s Communications & Marketing Manager, Erica Thaler, as we explore many other ways that COCA benefits the Arts in our community.

Vanessa Rowse & Erica Thaler

(Erica is the woman behind the COCA list!)

2. Tallahassee’s Top 50 List, created by KCCI

Tallahassee’s Top 50 List was created by the Experience Tallahassee team of the Knight Creative Communities Institute (KCCI). This list was initially created as a way to encourage college students to experience some of the wonderful parts of our community that are outside of the University bubble… and it was designed as a checklist of 50 things to experience before you graduate. But Tallahassee residents were so excited about this list too, so now it’s used by a much wider audience.  The Top 50 List is categorized into 8 sections, mostly by area of town – the sections are:  Greater Tallahassee, Downtown, Frenchtown, Gaines Street & Southside, Midtown, Uptown/Market Square, Festivals & Events, and Day Trips!

Our favorite thing about this list is that the Experience Tallahassee team worked hard to make it just 50 things, to highlight some of the most special parts of our community… and it's not all event-based, rather many of the experiences can be done on any given day. 

You can download the list here:  https://kccitallahassee.com/wp-content/uploads/Tallahassee-Top50-KCCI.pdf

Photo Credit - KCCI

3. Seasoned Local program by Visit Tallahassee

Similar to the Top 50 List, the Seasoned Local program by Visit Tallahassee serves as a Tallahassee bucket list highlighting experiences, most which you can do on any day. The great part about this list is that it's customized by season, featuring experiences that are appropriate for a certain time of year.

You can even earn some Tallahassee swag by completing things on the list!  They have different levels and the swag gets better as you complete more items – so for Tier 1, you only have to complete 1 item… for Tier 2, you have to complete 3 items... and for Tier 3, 5 items. There’s a good chance many Tallahassee residents have already completed multiple items from the list, so you just have to sign up, take a picture and submit it.

Visit Tallahassee’s goal is to turn residents into ...

In this Mental Health episode, we talk with Randy Nicklaus, President of 2-1-1 Big Bend, as we explore mental health needs and resources in our local community.  2-1-1 Big Bend operates a 24/7 hotline where trained counselors provide emotional support, crisis counseling, suicide prevention, and information & referrals.  2-1-1 Big Bend serves as a gateway to other community services by maintaining an extensive resource database and by checking eligibility requirements as part of their referral process.

Randy Nicklaus, 2-1-1 Big Bend

During 2019, 2-1-1 Big Bend answered 28,944 calls, for an average of 79 calls per day.  They provided 312,301 minutes of hotline counseling and offered 29,616 referrals.  And 1,457 of their calls were about suicide.

This episode was released on February 11, to coincide with National 211 Awareness Day.

Resources discussed on this episode, plus some extras...

There are so many local mental health resources available to us. Remember to do your own research to find out what's available and best for you.

2-1-1 Big Bend (24/7 hotline)

Psychology Today (where you can search for therapists)

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb (popular and funny book about therapy)

NAMI Tallahassee (National Alliance on Mental Illness)

There are countless other local resources and services. Colleges, universities, school systems, churches, and service organizations often offer support services, sometimes for free. Look around for the services that are best for you in your local community.

This podcast represents the opinions of residents, primarily the host, Vanessa Rowse, who is not a mental health professional. Remember to do your own research to find out what services are available and best for you.

We will be exploring Fitness Programs & Active Lifestyles in Tallahassee with 4 episodes coming out in January – one every Tuesday. In this 4th fitness episode, we talk to local Wellness Coach Christine White about wellness coaching, workplace wellness, yoga, active lifestyles, and accountability.

4 Fitness Episodes in January:

Part 1: Release date - 1/7/2020F3 - Fitness, Fellowship and Faith with Ben GraybarBurn Boot Camp with Jaimie SherradenFemales in Action & F5 (Family-Friendly F3)

Part 2: Release date - 1/14/2020Halle and Bree Van Oss discuss biking, Orangetheory & more. Plus community groups for running, walking, and rucking.

Part 3: Release date - 1/21/2020Dance workouts with Drip Drop Fitness & Zumba with Chocolate Waisted Fitness. Plus adult sports, free places to exercise in Tallahassee, & more.

Part 4: Release date - 1/28/2020 Christine White, Wellness Coach discusses active lifestyles, accountability, wellness coaching, workplace wellness, and yoga!

(Following the January fitness episodes, we will begin our regular schedule of releasing episodes every other week, on Tuesdays.) 

Wellness Coach Christine White

Wellness Coach Christine White shares her story of becoming a business owner and helping many Tallahassee residents with their wellness goals. She discusses her love for yoga and wellness coaching and also shares helpful tips on workplace wellness, active lifestyles, and accountability.(Click play above to hear Christine's story and helpful tips.)

Check back soon for an overtime episode with Christine White all about Nutrition!

Wellness Coach Christine White Website

Wellness Coach Christine White Facebook Page

Accountability Suggestions Discussed on this Episode

Set goals – write them down and revisit them often. Be sure to include short term and long term goals and celebrate successes along the way.

Workout with a friend or co-worker.

Get an Accountability Partner.

Add workouts to your calendar and treat them like appointments you can't miss.

Sign up for a fitness program or pay-by-the-class options so you’re motivated to get your money’s worth.

Sign up for classes with a specific start time – to get you out the door.

Join a program where you can earn monetary rewards for meeting your goals.

Join a social media group with people of similar interests where you can share progress toward goals and encourage others too.

Track workouts on a calendar so you can see visual progress.

Work with a Wellness Coach like Christine White!

We will be exploring Fitness Programs & Active Lifestyles in Tallahassee with 4 episodes coming out in January – one every Tuesday. We speak to Tallahassee residents about the fitness activities they love.In this 3rd fitness episode, we talk to the owners of two different dance-cardio fitness programs - Zumba with Chocolate Waisted Fitness & Drip Drop Fitness. We also cover adult sports, free places to exercise in Tallahassee, & more.

Photo Credit: Drip Drop Fitness

4 Fitness Episodes in January:

Part 1: Release date - 1/7/2020F3 - Fitness, Fellowship and Faith with Ben GraybarBurn Boot Camp with Jaimie SherradenFemales in Action & F5 (Family-Friendly F3)

Part 2: Release date - 1/14/2020Halle and Bree Van Oss discuss biking, Orangetheory & more. Plus community groups for running, walking, and rucking.

Part 3: Release date - 1/21/2020Dance workouts with Drip Drop Fitness & Zumba with Chocolate Waisted Fitness. Plus adult sports, free places to exercise in Tallahassee, & more.

Part 4: Release date - 1/28/2020 Christine White, Wellness Coach discusses nutrition, active lifestyles, accountability, wellness coaching, workplace wellness, and yoga!

(Following the January fitness episodes, we will begin our regular schedule of releasing episodes every other week, on Tuesdays.) During the Fitness Programs & Active Lifestyles episodes in January, we feature a wide variety of activities and programs so hopefully something will appeal to everyone. We cover things for all ages and stages of life… we include paid programs, free places to workout, outdoor activities, and community groups in Tallahassee who organize fitness events.

Zumba with Chocolate Waisted Fitness

Jasmin Richardson-Sutton shares her story of starting Zumba with Chocolate Waisted Fitness. What started 7 years ago with Zumba classes has turned into a huge family of people here locally working together to better themselves and this community. (Click play above to hear Jasmin's story.)

Zumba with Chocolate Waisted Fitness Facebook Page

Tallahassee Trainers Facebook Page

Jasmin Richardson-Sutton Facebook Page

Drip Drop Fitness

Summer Griffith, owner of Drip Drop Fitness, tells us about the experience in the classes they offer and the community of women who exercise at Drip Drop Fitness. (Click play above to hear from Summer.)

Drip Drop Fitness Website

Drip Drop Fitness Facebook Page

Adult Sports

Participating in sports is another excellent way to stay active while checking multiple boxes – team building, socializing with friends, competition, and of course physical activity. There are endless possibilities for adult sports in Tallahassee, so in this episode we throw out a few random examples to demonstrate the wide variety of local options.

FREE Places to Exercise in Tallahassee

Gym membership not in the budget? No worries... there are SO MANY options for exercising for free in Tallahassee. Here are a few we discussed on this episode:1.

We will be exploring Fitness Programs & Active Lifestyles in Tallahassee with 4 episodes coming out in January – one every Tuesday. We speak to Tallahassee residents about the fitness activities they love.

In this 2nd fitness episode, Halle and Bree Van Oss discuss biking, Orangetheory & prioritizing fitness for the whole family.

We also cover community groups for running, walking, and rucking.

4 Fitness Episodes in January:

Part 1: Release date - 1/7/2020

F3 - Fitness, Fellowship and Faith with Ben Graybar

Burn Boot Camp with Jaimie Sherraden

Females in Action & F5 (Family-Friendly F3)

Part 2: Release date - 1/14/2020

Halle and Bree Van Oss discuss biking, Orangetheory & more.

Plus community groups for running, walking, and rucking.

Part 3: Release date - 1/21/2020

Dance workouts with Drip Drop Fitness & Zumba with Chocolate Waisted Fitness.

Plus adult sports, free places to exercise in Tallahassee, & more.

Part 4: Release date - 1/28/2020

Christine White, Wellness Coach discusses nutrition, active lifestyles, accountability, wellness coaching, workplace wellness, and yoga!

(Following the January fitness episodes, we will begin our regular schedule of releasing episodes every other week, on Tuesdays.) 

During the Fitness Programs & Active Lifestyles episodes in January, we feature a wide variety of activities and programs so hopefully something will appeal to everyone. We cover things for all ages and stages of life… we include paid programs, free places to workout, outdoor activities, and community groups in Tallahassee who organize fitness events.

Halle & Bree Van Oss discuss biking, Orangetheory & prioritizing fitness for the whole family

Every member of the Van Oss family exercises regularly.  We'll hear from Halle and Bree about how they prioritize fitness for the whole family.  Then we'll learn about the fitness activities they love:  mountain biking for Bree and Orangetheory for Halle.

Click play at top of page to listen. 

Orangetheory Fitness

Many people in Tallahassee share Halle's passion for Orangetheory. Listen to the podcast episode to hear what the experience is all about. (Click play above.)

Orangetheory is giving away a free core heart rate monitor to anyone who signs up for a premier membership in January.

Orangetheory Tallahassee Website

Orangetheory Tallahassee Facebook Page (Midtown)

Orangetheory Tallahassee Facebook Page (North)

Where to Find Trails in Tallahassee

Trailahassee Website

TallyParks App

Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association website

Also check out the Strava app to track your route and connect with other athletes

Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association

With so many beautiful places to ride in Tallahassee, our local biking community is very strong. Connect with Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association to find out about group rides, events, and more.

Urban Gorilla ride: Sunday, February 2.

Tallahassee Trail Festival: March 20 – 22 (Fri – Sun) at Tom Brown Park. Join them for rides, challenges, skills clinics, live music, food, beer & camping.

TMBA Website

TMBA Website - Events Page

TMBA Facebook Page

TMBA Google Calendar

Urban Gorilla Facebook Page

We will be exploring Fitness Programs & Active Lifestyles in Tallahassee with 4 episodes coming out in January – one every Tuesday. We speak to Tallahassee residents about the fitness activities they love.In this 1st fitness episode, we talk with Ben Graybar about the men’s F3 fitness program, and we also learn about Females in Action and F5 for families.Then Jaimie Sherraden shares her inspirational story about how Burn Boot Camp became a huge part of her life. 

Photo Credit: F3 Tallahassee

4 Fitness Episodes in January:

Part 1: Release date - 1/7/2020F3 - Fitness, Fellowship and Faith with Ben GraybarBurn Boot Camp with Jaimie SherradenFemales in Action & F5 (Family-Friendly F3)

Part 2: Release date - 1/14/2020Halle and Bree Van Oss discuss biking, Orangetheory & more. Plus community groups for running, walking, and rucking.

Part 3: Release date - 1/21/2020Dance workouts with Drip Drop Fitness & Zumba with Chocolate Waisted Fitness. Plus Free places to exercise in Tallahassee, adult sports, & more.

Part 4: Release date - 1/28/2020 Christine White, Wellness Coach discusses nutrition, active lifestyles, accountability, wellness coaching, workplace wellness, and yoga!

(Following the January fitness episodes, we will begin our regular schedule of releasing episodes every other week, on Tuesdays.) During the Fitness Programs & Active Lifestyles episodes in January, we feature a wide variety of activities and programs so hopefully something will appeal to everyone. We cover things for all ages and stages of life… we include paid programs, free places to workout, outdoor activities, and community groups in Tallahassee who organize fitness events.

F3 - Fitness, Fellowship and Faith with Ben Graybar

In this first fitness episode, Ben Graybar tells us about the F3 men's fitness program.  F3 is for Fitness, Fellowship and Faith.  The group meets in the mornings for free, peer-led workouts held outdoors — rain or shine, heat or cold. Workouts end with a Circle of Trust. All men are welcome to participate.  Listen to Ben's interview to learn about the format of the workout, the camaraderie of the group, the nicknames, and more. 

Photo Credit: Alan Chen & F3 Tallahassee

F3 Tallahassee Facebook Group

F3 Tallahassee Website

F3 Nation Website

Females in Action

Females in Action is a women's group similar to the F3 group for men.  Females in Action meets 3 – 4 mornings a week at 5:25 am.  One morning they run, two mornings they do workouts, and the other day is flexible.  All women are welcome to participate. 

FiA Tallahassee Facebook Group

FiA Website

F5 - Family Friendly F3

F5 is a family-friendly F3.  They meet every other Sunday from 2 – 3pm at Leon High School. Each workout is a combination of cardio and body weight exercises, designed to allow each person to give it their best effort no matter what their ability level is.  And above all else – it’s meant to be fun.  They open and close each workout with a prayer. They also reflect on the past week and give people an opportunity to ask for prayer requests.F5 is open to everyone.  No age restrictions,

In this surprise bonus episode, we hit the road with the family to explore some of Tallahassee's best Christmas decorations.  We visit 10 amazing houses and share what we love about them (see list below while you listen to podcast episode). 

We also provide information for where you can find more Christmas lights near you:1.  The Tallahassee Democrat has a list of lights around town:  https://data.tallahassee.com/tour-of-lights/2.  Fun4TallyKids.com has a list of major lights displays (not houses) in Tallahassee and the surrounding areas:https://fun4tallykids.com/Whats-Happening/Holiday-Lights-and-Displays/3.  Don't forget to check out Dorothy B. Oven park while you're out to see over 250,000 lights put up by the City:  3205 Thomasville Rd, Tallahassee, FL 323084.  If you're in Thomasville over the holidays, visit the Flowers Baking Company headquarters to see the Christmas lights display, located on Hwy 19 South just outside of Thomasville.  Open nightly from 6 - 9 pm.And now... below are the 10 stops we visited on our tour of Tallahassee, organized by area of town.   Plus - we added some new ones on 12/18 (see ** below for additions).Thank you to all these families for brightening our holiday season!

South Tallahassee (stops 1 - 3)

1.  Indian Head Acres - Apakin NeneBeautiful lights display with synchronized music.On Apakin Nene near itersection with Chowkeebin Nene. Near Hartsfield school.https://youtu.be/bbQaAnc18ps2.  Jim Lee Road & Orange Ave.Wonderful lights display at this house on the corner of Jim Lee Road and Orange Avenue (at the roundabout). 

3.  Southwood - Endicott DriveAmazing lights display with synchronized music playing on a radio station - channel 88.7.  Definitely worth the drive across town!https://youtu.be/r0C5Tmr81eg

Middle of Town (stop 4)

4.  Woodgate Way - wow!Awesome lights display with synchronized music playing on a radio station - channel 95.9.Close to Dorothy B. Oven park - check out those lights while you're in the area!https://youtu.be/TpWHbKVuEsc** If you're following our route, this would be a good time to insert Dorothy B. Oven Park!

Northeast / Killearn Area (stops 5 - 9)

5.  Canopy Neighborhood - Crestline RoadLots of decorations at this corner house on Crestline Road and Sweet Ridge Street in the new Canopy neighborhood off Fleischmann Road.

6.  Canopy Neighborhood - Crestline RoadBeautiful decorations that change colors at this house on Crestline Road in the new Canopy neighborhood off Fleischmann Road.

** New locations added:  There are several beautifully decorated houses in Killearn Estates, near the entrance at Centerville and Shamrock.  All 3 of these are very close to each other:

Kilmartin Drive (off Shamrock St. E.) - tune into 105.5

Two houses near the intersection of Waterford Drive and Fermanagh Drive... check out both of those streets for beautiful lights!

7.  Killearn Estates - Tipperary DriveVery cool decorations at this house toward the middle of Tipperary Drive in Killearn Estates.  Check out the lights on that basketball goal!

8.  Killearn Estates - Gallagher DriveAmazing decorations at this Killearn home with lots of moving parts and even a film playing out front!  This is the home of the owners of Mays-Munroe - also the winners of last year's Killearn award for best decorations. https://youtu.be/LMKsqRSQ6tw9.  Arbor Hill – Vassar RoadWow, so many beautiful decorations here!  And with synchronized music.  They even have a countdown to Christmas showing days, hours, minutes, & seconds.

Havana (stop 10)

10.  The Allison Christmas Spectacular -  240 Sandy Creek Road - WOW!!!Only took us 17 minutes from the Thomasville Road exit of I-10...

In this short overtime episode, realtor Bert Pope shares more history about de Soto's Winter Encampment in Tallahassee in 1539 - 1540. Listen to learn how a young Native American boy helped run Hernando de Soto out of Tallahassee.  Also learn how the Chain Mail found on the de Soto site helped confirm Tallahassee as America's First Christmas site.  And learn why we think of Hernando de Soto as the Godfather of the American pork industry.

After months of talking to residents about their favorite local holiday traditions, we created this episode to share Tallahassee’s best experiences and events between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. We cover live performances, holiday lights shows, festive races, Santa appearances, shopping, and much more.We also share a little-known piece of local history – listen to learn about Tallahassee as the site where Christmas was first celebrated in America! (For real!!)

Candy Cane Lane Photo Credit - City of Tallahassee

Thank you to our episode sponsor - Home Alone Pet Service!  They have been serving Tallahassee's pets since 2005, and they will accept new clients starting in January!  Email [email protected] to be put on the waiting list or visit their website to learn more: www.TallahasseePetsitter.com The Show Notes below are listed in the order discussed in the show, with links to event pages.

America's First Christmas

Tune in to hear Bert Pope tell the history of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto's winter encampment of 1539-1540 in Tallahassee and how that translated into the site where Christmas was first celebrated in America.

1001 de Soto Park Drive, Tallahassee, FL

America's First Christmas Facebook Page

De soto Winter Encampment Site

De soto's Christmas in Tallahassee

Learn more about Hernando de Soto's time in Tallahassee in our "Overtime with Bert Pope" episode.  Click below to listen to this 9-minute mini-episode.

Listen to Overtime with Bert Pope

City of Tallahassee Events (FREE)

Winter Festival of Lights and Jingle Bell Run

Saturday, December 7 from 3-10 p.m.

A Celebration of Lights, Music and the Arts in downtown Tallahassee

6:00 p.m. - Lighting Ceremony

6:15 p.m. - Jingle Bell Run (registration fee for this part)

7:15 p.m. - Nighttime Holiday Parade

3-10 p.m. - 4 stages of entertainment, children's activities, food trucks, and more!

Candy Cane Lane in McCarty Park - open during Winter Festival and also nightly from 6-9 p.m. on December 8-15

City's Event Page (click here for performance line-up)

Jingle Bell Run Event Page & Registration

City's Facebook Event Page

Holiday Stroll through Cascades Park

Saturday, December 14, 6 – 8 p.m.

FREE event!

Walk to different stations along the walking trails in Cascades Park to hear live holiday music performed by local favorites (see line-up on Facebook event page)

Stop by Imagination Fountain to see the water dance to the sounds and lights of the season