Real Feel Insights

Sarah Bachmann sits down with Travis Romine to hear about the unexpected medical emergency that changed his life at just 39 years old. What started as a persistent dry cough eventually became so severe that Travis went seven days without sleep. After multiple doctor visits, he learned that a serious infection had affected his heart, leading to an emergency transfer to the Abbott Heart Center and surgery to implant an LVAD, a mechanical device that helps his heart pump blood.

Travis shares how his hospitalization led to two strokes and other lasting health complications, all while his family was navigating the loss of his grandfather, the news of his wife's pregnancy, and a tornado that struck their home. He also opens up about the emotional toll of living with physical limitations, grieving the life he once knew, and trying to balance his health with being a husband and father. Through everything, Travis reflects on his faith, the times it has been tested, and what it means to keep moving forward when life looks nothing like you expected.

This episode is brought to you by our title sponsor, Aho Seamless Gutters. Learn more at mnahoseamlessgutters.com 

Sarah Bachmann sits down with Steve Skoog and John Hockett to take a closer look at what happens to our garbage after we throw it away. Steve works at the county level to find effective ways to manage waste throughout local communities, while John supervises operations at the solid waste campus. Together, they explain how waste is collected, sorted, processed, and managed, and why much more happens behind the scenes than most people realize.

Steve and John also walk through the many materials that can be reused, resold, or repurposed instead of simply being thrown away. From appliances, paint, bicycles, and windows to mattresses, shingles, and sheetrock, they explain how different items are handled and what they can become after arriving at the facility. Their conversation offers a look at the work, planning, and processes involved in managing the waste our communities produce every day.

This episode is brought to you by our title sponsor, Aho Seamless Gutters. Learn more at mnahoseamlessgutters.com 

Sarah Bachmann sits down with Cassidy Benson to hear about her journey raising her son, Rylen, who was born with limb differences affecting both his arms and legs. Cassidy shares what it was like learning about his differences during a prenatal ultrasound, the uncertainty that came with preparing for his arrival, and her experience bringing him into the world.

Now 15 months old, Rylen continues to teach Cassidy about motherhood, acceptance, and embracing what makes each person unique. Cassidy opens up about raising a child with physical differences, the protective instincts that come with being his mom, and why she wants others to see and appreciate people for who they are rather than what makes them different.

This episode is brought to you by our title sponsor, Aho Seamless Gutters. Learn more at mnahoseamlessgutters.com.

Sarah Bachmann sits down with retired police chief Kelvin Keena to look back on a career in law enforcement that took him from patrol officer through the ranks and eventually to 15 years as police chief. Kelvin shares what he learned about leadership along the way, why building a strong team was central to the way he led, and what the different roles within a police department look like behind the scenes.

Kelvin also opens up about the more difficult side of the job, including responding to traumatic incidents and his work helping law enforcement officers and other first responders process what they experienced through debriefing. Now 15 years into retirement, he reflects on the career he built, the people he was able to help, and the lessons about honesty, integrity, accountability, health, and life that have stayed with him long after leaving law enforcement.

This episode is brought to you by our title sponsor, Aho Seamless Gutters. Learn more at mnahoseamlessgutters.com. 

"This week, Sarah Bachmann sits down with someone usually found on the other side of the camera: Real Feel Insights producer Cassidy Drewes. After countless conversations together before and after filming, Sarah and Cassidy decided to turn the cameras on and let listeners in on the kinds of conversations they’re usually having behind the scenes.

They talk about what it’s like working on Real Feel Insights and processing some of the difficult stories they hear, along with their different perspectives on life, success, failure, confidence, relationships, travel, business ownership, and taking opportunities when they come. From meaningful lessons they’ve learned to completely random thoughts, this episode is an inside look at the friendship and conversations behind the podcast.

This episode is brought to you by our title sponsor, Aho Seamless Gutters. Learn more at mnahoseamlessgutters.com."

Sarah Bachmann sits down with MaKayla Morris to talk about being diagnosed with melanoma at just 15 years old and how that experience changed the course of her life. MaKayla shares what it was like going through cancer treatment and a recurrence as a teenager, feeling isolated from friends and school, and seeing her community come together to support her and her family. Years later, MaKayla’s journey took her away from home and eventually to Montana, where she began discovering the Christian faith that now plays a central role in her life.

MaKayla also opens up about becoming a mother and the traumatic delivery of her daughter, Winona, who was born not breathing and spent weeks critically ill in the NICU. She shares the uncertainty of those early weeks, her daughter’s recovery, and how everything she has experienced has changed her perspective on faith, family, control, and the unexpected direction life can take.

This episode is brought to you by our title sponsor, Aho Seamless Gutters. Learn more at mnahoseamlessgutters.com.

Sarah Bachmann sits down with Miquette McMahon to hear about her childhood growing up as one of 10 children in Haiti, where poverty affected nearly every part of her life. Miquette shares what it was like to grow up without running water or electricity, lose siblings at young ages, struggle to consistently attend school, and continue dreaming of becoming a nurse despite not always knowing when she would be able to return to the classroom.

Miquette also shares the unexpected opportunity that eventually brought her to Minnesota and what it was like experiencing life and education in the United States for the first time. She reflects on becoming a registered nurse and why the opportunity someone once gave her inspired her to give back to children in Haiti through schools of her own.

This episode is brought to you by our title sponsor, Aho Seamless Gutters. Learn more at mnahoseamlessgutters.com.

Sarah Bachmann sits down with veterans Dave Knopf and Dave Ohman to talk about their time in the military and why the desire to serve doesn’t necessarily end when military service does. They share how the military gave them discipline and direction and how those lessons have continued to shape their lives.

Dave and Dave also share their work with the Honor Guard, honoring fellow veterans at funerals through the presentation of the flag and 21-gun salute. With their local group participating in around 60 funerals each year, they reflect on what it means to continue serving their country and fellow veterans in a different way.

This episode is brought to you by our title sponsor, Aho Seamless Gutters. Learn more at mnahoseamlessgutters.com.

 In the final part of Margo Jensen’s three-part story, Sarah Bachmann and Margo pick up with life after the NICU and the reality of bringing four babies home. Margo shares how they managed feedings, nighttime routines, at-home therapies, and the everyday logistics of raising quadruplets—with plenty of help from family, friends, their church community, and other mothers of multiples.

Margo also reflects on watching four different personalities grow up together, welcoming a fifth child just 20 months later, and finding humor through the chaos. She and Sarah also discuss postpartum, the importance of stay-at-home moms, and the advice Margo would give new mothers today.

This episode is brought to you by our title sponsor, Aho Seamless Gutters. Learn more at mnahoseamlessgutters.com 

 In Part Two of a three-part series, Sarah Bachmann continues her conversation with Margo Jensen as she shares what it was like to carry quadruplets. Margo talks about the excitement of knowing all four babies were growing, the physical toll of the pregnancy, and the constant appointments and monitoring that came with being high-risk.

At 22 weeks, complications led to a 12-day hospital stay, and at just 24 weeks, Margo learned she needed to deliver immediately. With a team of doctors filling the delivery room, Margo gave birth to two boys and two girls, each weighing between one and two pounds, who were taken straight to the NICU. Margo walks through the five months that followed, from the uncertainty of those first days to the constant progress and setbacks of having four premature babies in the NICU. She also reflects on the odds they faced, the care that kept giving them another option, and what it means today to have four healthy children who all survived.

This episode is brought to you by our title sponsor, Aho Seamless Gutters. Learn more at mnahoseamlessgutters.com.