Heather Aal runs Aal Yours Consignment, a consignment boutique and curiosity shop tucked into the Hawthorne Historic District in South Fargo at 615 9th Avenue South, about a block and a half south of Island Park. The space has its own local lore, originally an Island Park grocery store, and now a rotating, highly curated mix of antique and vintage furniture and home decor, with new items hitting the floor daily and the layout changing constantly. Heather breaks down how consignment works in real terms: items get 90 days on the floor with markdowns every 30 days, and sellers split net proceeds after costs like credit card fees, auction fees, and marketing. Contrary to what many assume, most of her sales still come from walk-in traffic, with additional reach through Etsy as an international seller, selective use of eBay for truly auction-worthy items, and estatesales.org for online auctions when items aren’t reclaimed after the 90-day window.Heather’s path into this world runs through Chicago consignment work, furniture refinishing, and high-end estate sales in Dallas, followed by years in the nonprofit sector, including work connected to the Better Business Bureau in Fargo and later the Essentia Health Foundation. After COVID-era disruption, she built the shop deliberately, leaning on local small business support like SCORE, SBA resources, and the Fargo Executive Club. A standout early “universe has spoken” moment involved a rare desk tied to Henry Ford and a Smithsonian reproduction story that helped cement the vision. The conversation also touches on why older items feel different, the way “joy” transfers from one owner to the next, and Heather’s next creative pivot after hand surgery ended refinishing, including experimenting with a crucible to melt down broken jewelry and obsolete metal pieces.

Conrad sits down with Matt Larson, the Executive Director of Farm in the Dell of the Red River Valley, a nonprofit with a simple mission: transforming disabilities into abilities. Matt explains how the farm and garden operation employs adults with disabilities, creating community, vocation, purpose, and a paycheck, while also growing produce that serves the Fargo-Moorhead area. The work is seasonal, ramping up in early May and wrapping in mid-October, and Matt shares how the team is experimenting with winter opportunities to keep people connected and employed, including baking and serving events, with more ideas in development for February.Matt describes the range of disabilities they support, primarily intellectual disabilities with some physical considerations, and how job coaches sometimes accompany employees depending on individual needs. Conrad and Matt also unpack the ecosystem of partner organizations that help adults find employment, including CCRI, Vocational Training Center (VTC), Heartland Industries, CLS, and the Carlson Center, plus how parents can connect directly with the farm.Beyond the farm, the conversation explores what it means to be an executive director at a small nonprofit, the realities of running operations with a lean staff, and Matt’s path from 23 years of teaching at Park Christian School in Moorhead to leading Farm in the Dell. The discussion also goes deep into Matt’s faith journey, the difference between works and grace, and how worldview shapes leadership, resilience, and service. Matt closes with ways to support the mission through Giving Hearts Day, volunteering on the farm, and signing up for their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) produce subscription.

Veronica Malachowski joins Conrad Fargo to unpack the philosophy behind True Image Tallow Skincare; a Fargo-area skincare brand built around locally sourced bison tallow and a “keep it simple” ingredient mindset. Veronica walks through what tallow actually is, why leaf fat (kidney suet) matters for skincare, and how she dry-renders bison suet at low temperature to avoid water-related spoilage and keep scent minimal. She compares the recent “tallow comeback” in both food and skincare, explains why bison differs from beef, and describes her small-batch process from receiving frozen suet in large chunks, to meticulous trimming, slow rendering, straining, vacuum sealing, and freezing stock for future production.The conversation also digs into her background as a dental hygienist (graduated 2000) and how studying fluoride originally kicked off a long, crunchy, question-everything path toward cleaner inputs, gardening, canning, and local food preservation. Veronica shares how she connected with community through Hildebrandt Farm (a fourth-generation, regenerative local farm with a West Fargo brick-and-mortar seasonal market), and how that network helped her build momentum as she moved from family-and-friends testing to full-time business ownership.You’ll hear specifics on where her products are carried, including Modish Boutique in West Fargo (off Veterans), Herbs and Spices on Robert Street in downtown Fargo, Hildebrandt Farm, Petals and Stems in Carrington, and wellness centers in “Mina.” Veronica also describes going storefront-to-storefront to wholesale her line, balancing production time with the hustle of partnerships and social media. She outlines her seven-product lineup, including seasonal blends (spring, summer, autumn, winter) with botanical profiles aimed at specific skin goals, plus tattoo aftercare, baby cream, and an unscented option kept to just bison tallow with organic extra virgin olive oil or organic jojoba oil. The episode wraps with a practical discussion of sensitivities like lanolin allergies, an honest take on Vaseline, and her outro music pick: “Glorious” by Mïm.

Rusty Galloway breaks down how a Class 4 laser-cleaning rig turns nasty jobs into clean, finished projects. Rusty describes their portable 300-watt Class 4 pulse laser setup (suitcase-sized unit, long hose, handheld head, and an air compressor) and how it strips away grease, carbon buildup, dirt, grime, rust, paint, and varnish without chemical baths and with minimal cleanup. They also get real about safety, what “Class 4” means, and why the work happens up close in careful passes rather than flashy sci-fi beams across the room.The conversation gets practical with use cases around the Fargo-Moorhead metro: commercial kitchen deep-cleans inspired by Rusty’s years in kitchen management at Sanford Medical Center, helping local food trucks that are too busy to scrub equipment, and the oddly satisfying results of removing paint and varnish from doors and furniture. Rusty keeps coming back to the same theme: customers rarely want “just stripping,” they want the project done. That mindset pushes him toward furniture repair and refinishing so LRG can become a true one-stop shop instead of handing you a half-finished problem.Rusty and Conrad also talk hustle as learning what you do not know so clients do not have to, plus the autonomy of building something outside the corporate machine. Rusty shares how his long working relationship with Carrie turned into a leap into business ownership, helped by trust built through shared recovery. The episode closes with a Johnny Cash sendoff, “I’ve Been Everywhere,” and Rusty’s invite to reach out to LRG Laser Cleaning by connecting with Carrie through lrglasercleaning.com (and by searching “LRG Laser Cleaning” online).

Conrad Fargo sits down with Jon Tatro owner of Clean and Pristine Solutions LLC, a local residential cleaning company focused on recurring weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, and quarterly home cleanings. Jon explains why he prefers the more personal, relationship-based nature of residential work, while also taking on daytime office cleaning when it fits and occasional move-out style jobs through the Fargo Housing Authority. The conversation traces how Jon’s attention to detail was sharpened during his prior career at Fabricators Unlimited, where he performed final inspection on stone countertops, and how an entrepreneur class connected to F5 helped turn his ambition into a real business.Jon opens up about addiction, incarceration, and what it means to be in recovery, including how gratitude, accountability, and ongoing self-work helped him rebuild. He discusses how the same intense focus that can fuel addiction can, in recovery, become fuel for building something positive for the community, which is why he supports the mission of F5. The episode also touches the local networking scene, including Tea Time Tuesday at the Daily Dose, Far More Networking, and the referral connection through Tiffany Savageo of Savvy Cleaning and the Savvy Food Truck. Jon shares practical operations too, from supplies at Costco and Menards to using Mrs. Meyer’s products, plus the systems behind the scenes, including scheduling software built for cleaning companies, checklists, weekly team meetings, QuickBooks, and a smoother client intake process. Music pick of the week is “The Search” by NF, tying the theme of struggle, momentum, and forward motion together.

Danny begins with a simple line from his former personal trainer — life never gets easier, you just get better at dealing with it — and shows how that mindset carried him from bodybuilding diets and long days at Valley Landscaping into launching his own company from nothing but determination, word of mouth, and a garage full of refurbished equipment. He explains how he and his brother scavenged mowers and snowblowers during Fargo’s citywide cleanup, learned small engine repair out of necessity, and slowly gained attention for reliable work at a time when they still had no advertising, no budget and no shop space.The tipping point came when Personal Touch Property Management and local real estate investors began calling them back for larger tenant maintenance and repair work, opening the door to bigger projects like decks, patios, siding, fences, an insulated shed build, and eventually an out-of-town apartment remodel in Baiji through Christensen Companies. Danny walks Conrad through the reality of taking that leap: signing a shop lease he was personally liable for, surviving a difficult split with his brother, keeping the business alive with 70-hour workweeks and riding out the seasonality that freezes gutters, halts landscaping, and suddenly turns all attention toward snow removal.Hiring becomes a major theme as Danny describes cracking the workforce challenge by recruiting directly from NDSU’s construction management program and bringing on employees like Tyler, Derek and Jesse, whose mechanical expertise even sparked plans for a 16-and-older automotive shop. Networking threads through the conversation as Danny credits cousin Lee Roggenkamp’s groups for sharpening his public speaking and helping him meet his social media assistant Alicia. Conrad adds insights from his work as a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Premier Properties and as a small business consultant, comparing the worker-short contracting world with worker-dense fields like real estate. Together they examine the scrappiness of Fargo’s “north of normal” business culture — where surviving, growing and staying booked comes down to relationships, referrals, resilience and never believing you’ve already got enough work in the pipeline.

Sheridan Averson, owner of Green Prairie Counseling, joins the show to unpack what unconditional positive regard really looks like in practice and why a therapist’s job often begins by simply accepting everything a client brings into the room. Sheridan discusses the fine line between encouragement, acceptance, and manipulation, and how intention determines whether guidance becomes helpful or harmful. She shares how her plant-rich office environment—20 to 30 live plants, plus the option for anxious clients to prune or interact with them—acts as a grounding tool and an accessible doorway into horticulture-based therapy benefits. Sheridan also explains her training in CPT, cognitive processing therapy for trauma, and how ABC frameworks help clients identify antecedents, stuck points, and emotional consequences.We dive into her background at The Village, her transition into private practice inside Downtown Health & Wellness in Moorhead, and her surprise win as InForum’s Best of the Best in Counseling only months after launching Green Prairie Counseling. Sheridan walks through the realities of documentation, insurance credentialing, billing support from her contractor Ron in Florida, and the surprising amount of autonomy therapists have behind a closed door. She contrasts counseling, psychology, and social work, reflecting on licensing, supervision requirements, and the challenges of finding internship placements during COVID.Beyond counseling, Sheridan talks gaming: Skyrim, Oblivion, Baldur’s Gate, Diablo, Dark Souls, and the role video games play in her downtime with her husband. We explore evolutionary psychology, relationship dynamics, social connection, and the universal human need to feel seen. She closes by sharing her personal story, the teachers who shaped her, the meaning behind her wedding song “Bloom” by The Paper Kites, and what life looks like as a new parent balancing a growing practice with a 20-month-old at home.

In this episode, Conrad Fargo sits down with Mark Bjornstad, President and Co-Founder of Drekker Brewing Company, the powerhouse behind Brewhalla, Fargo’s iconic “food and entertainment wonderland.” Mark reflects on his transition from a career in anesthesia to building one of Minnesota’s most successful breweries — a brand now distributing to 34 states and across Europe, Asia, and Scandinavia.They discuss how Drekker’s mission to “create experiences and destroy expectations” led to Brewhalla, a massive community hub housing 12 independent businesses and a boutique hotel where every room is themed after a Drekker beer label. Mark shares the brewery’s early garage days in Moorhead, the courage to launch with no investors, and how focusing on “why” rather than “what” built an authentic culture where employees and customers alike feel ownership.From craft beer to community creation, Mark’s story is a testament to the philosophy that “hard work puts you where good luck can find you.” Discover how this world-ranked brewery has redefined what it means to be “North of Normal” right here in Fargo.

When military precision meets heartfelt empathy, transformation follows.

On this episode of The Fargo Five, host Conrad Fargo sits down with Brittany Schank, owner of Solace Counseling in Fargo and a 19-year veteran of the Air National Guard. Brittany shares her journey from catching shoplifters at Sears to creating a 12-therapist mental health practice behind the old Chuck E. Cheese on 13th Avenue. She describes growing up in poverty and chaos, finding structure through military service, and discovering her calling to help others heal emotionally through therapy. Her path led from criminal justice to social work and ultimately to launching Solace Counseling with nothing but grit, a $300 office, and a vision for work-life balance. Now with locations in Fargo and Bismarck, her team provides counseling for kids, families, couples, and veterans alike. Brittany and Conrad explore how ethics, law, and human compassion intersect in therapy—like when a therapist must report potential harm versus protecting client privacy—and how faith and resilience shape leadership. From balancing four children to supervising a team of clinicians, Brittany’s story embodies the North-Dakota spirit of service, discipline, and heart. Her song choice, “Another in the Fire” by Hillsong United, captures that faithful message: we are never alone in the struggle.

Nikki joins The Fargo Five from her rural life in Barney, North Dakota, where she and her family manage about 30 head of cattle (and two ducks), while her husband works full-time as a diesel mechanic. Nikki explains that she practices Reiki with animals only and conducts roughly 95% of her sessions remotely—usually by phone—with clients spanning Florida, Oklahoma, the East Coast, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. She connects using a pet’s photo and name, then “tunes in,” often feeling the animal’s discomfort in her own body to help pinpoint issues the human might miss. Consent matters: she introduces herself to the animal and asks permission before working; on rare occasions, they decline and she reschedules. We talk skepticism, too—how she overcomes it by describing how an animal “greets” her, even at a distance, which commonly earns instant recognition from owners. Nikki traces her origin story to a bout of serious illness that sparked a personal spiritual journey; as a former registered veterinary professional, she already loved animal care but found a new path after guidance from friend Brittany Herlichka (Lidwood, ND). Word-of-mouth—especially through her family’s equine network near the Twin Cities and her parents’ connections in Oklahoma—built her early client base, and today she still meets people at holistic vendor shows like the seasonal SOS event in Fargo (held at the Ramada on 13th). We also wander through the regional texture of life: trips to Fargo for Costco, remote ranch chores that double as couple time, and the realities of raising kids without leaning on screens. Along the way, shout-outs surface to The Fargo Five connector Jesse Fe, local markets like Pride of North Dakota, and fellow vendor-scene makers such as Hansen Vanilla. We contrast Nikki’s quiet phone-based workflow with today’s Zoom-heavy habits, touch empathy (and how to set boundaries), and even detour into philosophy (Wittgenstein’s “If a lion could speak…”), the Coen Brothers’ “Fargo,” and end-credits music from Apashe and Vladimir Cauchemar. If you’ve ever wondered whether your dog is telling you to take better care of yourself so you can take better care of them—Nikki says they probably are—and she’s built a practice to translate that message into action.