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the weekly seattle
the weekly seattle episodes
- corporate event industry with Logan Clements & Mary Davidson, Better Events Pod
"The return on investment for silent auctions is usually pretty bad. Less is more with fundraisers."
For the second to last episode, Rachel discusses her own area of business expertise: corporate events. She is joined by the hosts of the Better Events Pod and fellow events business owners Logan Clements and Mary Davidson.
They cover why planning windows keep shrinking, which budget lines clients forget about, which kind of mic you actually need, and of course, event pet peeves.
Remember to send in your questions for Rachel's final episode! [email protected]
About host Rachel Horgan:
Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly seattle podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @theweeklyseattle
Website: www.theweeklyseattle.com
46 min - the drunk history episode & BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
Rachel and her friends attempt to explain the news after a few drinks. AND we reveal a very big announcement about the podcast...
Top Stories:
1. Bankruptcies: Getty Images & Picklr
2. Little Red Hen court update
3. 2 Costco lawsuits: tequila & emails
Guests:
Elianor Williamson - Senior Project Manager, Starbucks
Sarah Donaldson - Director of Sales Planning, SkinnyDipped
About host Rachel Horgan:
Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly seattle podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @theweeklyseattle
Website: www.theweeklyseattle.com
40 min - how ai has changed hiring and the future of recruiting with Shauna Swerland - Founder & CEO, Fuel Talent
We're back to the OG format and our guest Shauna Swerland gives us an inside look at the nuances of the job market right now. While we are seeing mass layoffs, she says it's more like a reshuffling, with companies hiring more selectively and prioritizing AI experience, security and data infrastructure roles. She also explains why resume fraud is on the rise, including candidates applying from overseas while posing as local. We talk about how pay transparency laws have changed recruiting, and what candidates should weigh beyond base salary.
All this and your top news stories of the week!
Top Stories:
- PCC Community Markets opens its Madison Valley store on October 14
- King County tech layoffs and Amazon's growth in Bellevue
- Seattle's minimum wage rises to $22.14 an hour in 2027
- Toys R Us returns to Puget Sound
About guest Shauna Swerland - Founder & CEO, Fuel Talent:
Shauna Swerland is the founder and CEO of Fuel Talent, a Seattle recruiting firm she launched in 2013 that specializes in engineering, tech and roles for companies from startups to enterprise. Before starting Fuel, she opened offices and became a partner at an executive search firm in San Francisco and New York. Fuel Talent has been recognized by the Puget Sound Business Journal for its growth and workplace culture. Shauna is also the host of the What Fuels You podcast, a former college tennis player, and a member of EO and YPO.
About host Rachel Horgan:
Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly seattle podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @theweeklyseattle
Website: www.theweeklyseattle.com
49 min - business leaders press the mayor on jobs and public safety with Trish Murphy & Vaughan Jones - KUOW
We're getting back into business news! The host of KUOW's Seattle Now podcast Trish Murphy and producer Vaughan Jones break down the top stories with Rachel.
Seattle's business leaders are pressing Mayor Wilson on two fronts: a struggling business economy and public safety. The Puget Sound lost jobs in 2025 for the first time in decades, and unemployment sits above the national average at 5.2%. Challenge Seattle and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce are pushing the mayor on permitting, taxes, and gun violence.
Top Stories:
- Seattle leaders fighting economic decline (KUOW, PSBJ, Seattle Times)
- Business leaders urging Mayor Wilson to address public safety (KUOW, PSBJ)
- A new rooftop bar in South Lake Union opens (Seattle Refined, PSBJ)
- WaFd to merge with Everbank in a $3.9 billion deal (PSBJ)
About guests Trish Murphy - Host, Seattle Now, and Vaughan Jones - Producer and Sports Correspondent, Seattle Now, KUOW:
Trish Murphy hosts KUOW's daily news podcast Seattle Now, and previously covered military and veterans issues as a beat reporter. Vaughan Jones is a producer and sports correspondent for Seattle Now, and has spent his career at NPR member stations.
About host Rachel Horgan:
Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly seattle podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @theweeklyseattle
Website: www.theweeklyseattle.com
40 min - legal affairs and crisis management at Starbucks with Zabrina Jenkins
The former General Counsel and Executive Advisor to the CEO of Starbucks joins us to share the behind-the-scenes of her experience navigating the Philadelphia crisis of 2018, what it was like getting Howard Schultz ready to testify in front of Congress in 2023, and her advice for other businesses experiencing unionization. We also talk about lessons learned from starting her own business.
About guest Zabrina Jenkins: Co-founder & Principal, Sidas Strategic Advisors:
Prior to starting her own consulting business, Zabrina Jenkins spent nearly two decades at Starbucks, going from the most junior lawyer to General Counsel before later serving as Executive Advisor to the Office of the CEO. She has served as an independent board director for Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. and was appointed by Washington Governor Jay Inslee as a Trustee for Central Washington University.
About host Rachel Horgan:
Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly seattle podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @theweeklyseattle
Website: www.theweeklyseattle.com
44 min - the impact of the shared micro-mobility industry with Hayden Harvey - Lime
During the World Cup a record high of 83,000 rides were made on a Lime device in Seattle. In this episode we talk to the Director of Government Relations for Lime on how his team prepared for this event, why Lime is able to be the sole provider in Seattle, and we address the serious safety concerns that comes along with this industry.
About guest: Hayden Harvey (he/him), Director, Government Relations, Lime:
Hayden is responsible for setting the policy strategy and leading Lime’s community engagement and partnership teams in eleven states across West. Hayden has three years at Lime and eight years in government affairs. Hayden serves on the Board of Leadership Eastside, is on the Friends of the Grand Connection Steering Committee, and proudly serves as Public Affairs Chair for GSBA – Washington’s LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce Board of Trustees.
About host Rachel Horgan:
Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly seattle podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @theweeklyseattle
Website: www.theweeklyseattle.com
45 min - inside grocery stores with Derek Giles, Co-Owner of Ken's Market
We love our local markets, but what is it like operating them? This episode unpacks how a small operator competes against Amazon, Walmart, and Costco without competing on price. We talk about why Ken's walked away from Instacart, tariff pressure on imported wine, and the deliberate decision to skip self-checkout service.
Top Stories:
1. Tech layoffs (Zillow, Google, Salesforce)
2. Ex-Pokemon director charged for hiding cameras in bathrooms
3. Starbucks closes inside 999 Third building
4. Ballard Goodwill might be replaced by 300-unit mixed use development
About guest Derek Giles - Co-owner, Ken's Market
Derek and his business partners took over ownership in 2019. Read more about the history of Ken's here at www.kensmarkets.com
About host Rachel Horgan:
Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly seattle podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @theweeklyseattle
Website: www.theweeklyseattle.com
28 min - the business of writing a book with Laura Marie Meyers - THE MASH UP
How long does it take to publish a book? How much money do you actually make? Do you have any control over the marketing? On this special episode we go behind-the-scenes with Laura Marie Meyers who shares what it was like to publish her first novel THE MASH UP. We talk about the art of storytelling, real business advice for first time authors, and of course, our favorite memories at USD.
Thank you to Populus Seattle for hosting this week's episode!
About guest Laurie Marie Meyers, author of THE MASH UP:
Laura is an author and journalist whose work is focused on books, trends, and pop culture. As an interviewer and event moderator, she's led conversations with actors, experts and bestselling authors. Originally from Chicago, she lives in Northern California with her husband, two sons, and far too many concert t-shirts. THE MASH UP is her first novel. She was recently interviewed by People and is an instant USA Today Bestseller. She earned her Bachelor's from University of San Diego and Masters from DePaul University.
About host Rachel Horgan:
Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly seattle podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @theweeklyseattle
Website: www.theweeklyseattle.com
42 min - the local politics episode with Erica C. Barnett - PubliCola/Seattle Nice
In this special episode Erica takes us behind the scenes of co-founding an independent political news outlet and podcast. Then dives into the state of Seattle's city council & Mayor, the fight over doubling the transportation tax, the stalled Ballard light rail line, and the collapse of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. It's a lot to cover, but Erica breaks it all down so you're caught up in local politics.
About guest Erica Barnett, Co-Founder & Editor of PubliCola and Co-host of the Seattle Nice podcast:
PubliCola is Seattle’s independent, reader funded politics and policy site running since 2009. She has written for The Stranger, CrossCut, a guest on KUOW and many others. She’s also the author of the book Quitter: A memoir of drinking, relapse, and recovery.
Listen to Seattle Nice podcast
About host Rachel Horgan:
Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly seattle podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @theweeklyseattle
Website: www.theweeklyseattle.com
42 min - queer bar changes hands, bed bath & beyond returns, and a venue starts to sink
Joining Rachel in her living room is friend Sarah Donaldson, Director of Sales Planning at SkinnyDipped, back for her second appearance on the pod. They cover Queer/Bar's ownership change, Seattle's surpising decline in flights, a labor dispute at a beloved Seattle restaurant group, Bed Bath & Beyond's return, and a very eventful night on Lake Union.
Top Stories:
1. Queer Bar sells to The Cuff Complex
2. World Cup fever is up in Seattle, but flights are down 21% year-over-year (but everyone loves our stadium!)
3. Walrus and Carpenter employees strike, forcing a temporary closure
4. Bed Bath & Beyond is reopening its first location since the 2023 bankruptcy
5. Event venue MV Skansonia starts to sink on Lake Union
About Sarah Donaldson — Director of Sales Planning, SkinnyDipped:
Sarah has been with SkinnyDipped for seven years, helping grow the Seattle-based, mother-daughter-founded snack company from a small Wallingford kitchen operation to a brand now carried at Starbucks nationwide. As Director of Sales Planning, she oversees demand forecasting, trade budgets, and new product launches across the company's line of better-for-you almonds, cashews, and chocolate snacks.
About host Rachel Horgan:
Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly seattle podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @theweeklyseattle
Website: www.theweeklyseattle.com
19 min
About the weekly seattle
From the publisher's feed
Every episode Rachel Horgan and her co-host will explain the top Seattle business news stories of the week in a casual yet informative way. They will discuss why it matters to you, what it could mean…
for the future, and other insights. This podcast is for anyone that wants to know what is going on in the local business community without having to read the entire newspaper.