Third Space Indy

This week, I'm chatting with Jason and Molly, the co-leaders of November Project Indy, a free workout group that shows up rain, shine, or negative-degree wind chill at 6 am, twice a week. We talked about why people keep coming back for over a decade, how the group has reshaped the way they both see Indianapolis, and Jason opens up about the heart attack that changed how he thinks about relying on other people. I really enjoyed chatting with them today about community and consistency in showing up. I hope you enjoy.

Sponsor:

City Rising — cityrising.org

Music:

Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit"

Timestamps:

00:00 Cold Open

01:08 Intro

04:59 Accessibility & Structure

11:31 The Workouts

13:00 Community & Consistency

16:03 Volunteering & Social Events

21:37 Exploring the City

27:46 Molly's Leadership Journey

30:00 Showing Up, Rain or Shine

37:02 Day Won Fitness

39:09 Canned Questions

47:00 Exercise Philosophy

52:26 Jason's Heart Attack

57:09 Reimagining City Spaces

1:10:00 Closing Question & Where to Find Them

This week, I sat down with Brianna Garr-Bland, AKA DJ BriMix, at Blue Mind Coffee to talk about public transit, third spaces, and everything in between. Bri talked about how she got into DJing, why she loves riding the bus by choice, and how Blue Mind became her go-to community spot. We also got into why more people should give the bus a shot, and what it really means to have a third space in your life. I really enjoyed chatting with Bri today about buses, DJing, and community, and beyond. I hope you enjoy.

City Rising — cityrising.org

Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit"

00:00 Cold Open

01:17 Intro

02:24 Meet Bri

05:24 Choice Riders

08:35 Live Music

10:08 DJ Origin Story

16:53 Blue Mind Community

35:07 Transit Influencing

39:11 Walking & Biking

48:57 Canned Questions

57:00 Bus News & Closing

This week, I sat down with Jai-Lyn Norwood, the founder of Indy Black Climbers, at North Mass Boulder. We talked about how she came into climbing, why she started a group focused on getting more Black climbers into the sport, and what it's been like building that kind of representation in a space that hasn't always had it. We also got into vulnerability, teaching third grade, losing her mom this past year, and a good amount of summer camp nostalgia. I hope you enjoy.

City Rising — cityrising.org

Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit"

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 – Cold Open

1:40 – Intro

2:58 – Meet Jai-Lyn

5:07 – Falling for Climbing

12:12 – Community & Serendipity

15:31 – Diversity & Representation

27:57 – Third Space Question

29:14 – On Vulnerability

34:26 – Life Outside Climbing

40:14 – On Teaching & Loss

52:01 – Growing the Community

53:21 – Camp & Crag Stories

1:06:08 – Closing Question & Where to Find Jai-Lyn

Episode Summary

This week, I sat down with local muralist and illustrator Siena Baldi at Lille Bønne to talk about her magical realism style, why murals matter for a city's mental health, and how a quarter-life crisis in Hawaii eventually led her to Indianapolis. Siena talked about her printmaking roots and the value of investing in mural design. I had a great time sitting with Siena on today's episode, I hope you enjoy.

Sponsor

City Rising — cityrising.org

Music

Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit"

Timestamps

0:00 – Cold Open

1:14 – Intro

2:05 – Meet Siena

3:35 – Magical Realism Style

6:02 – Murals & Community Value

13:28 – Impermanence & Repair

18:40 – Path to Murals

26:35 – Weirdness & Creativity

30:38 – Moving to Indianapolis

41:28 – Belonging in Indy

48:00 – Third Space Question

49:07 – A Space That's Gone

52:05 – The One That Got Away

56:31 – Dream Wall & Guest Questions

1:03:06 – Where to Find Siena

This week, I sat down with my good friend (and podcasting rival) Patrick Armstrong, host of Conversation Piece, to catch up on his life. Patrick talked about balancing a full-time job at Downtown Indy Alliance with community building, and what makes something a true "community event" versus just networking with extra steps. We also got into identity, growing up in rural Indiana, and lessons from his recent trips to Barcelona and Michigan. I really enjoyed chatting with Patrick, and I hope you enjoy!

Sponsor

City Rising — cityrising.org

Music

Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit"

Timestamps

00:00 Cold Open

01:16 Intro

01:24 Meet Patrick

03:29 Life Since Last Time

06:21 Community & Full-Time Work

13:01 What Makes an Event "Community"

21:03 Asianapolis

25:19 Spain & Michigan Trips

35:02 Rensselaer & Rural Identity

44:32 Race & Rural Culture

1:02:11 Golden Handcuffs

1:14:31 Fixing Downtown Indy

1:22:03 Where to Find Patrick

This week, I sat down with Mike Marbach, founder of Crossroads Comedy Theater, to talk about building new improv artists here in Indy. Mike talked about why improv isn't really about being funny, but rather about reintroducing adults to play, and how that carries over into everyday conversation, relationships, and even conflict resolution. I really enjoyed chatting with Mike today about his work, horror movies, and beyond. I hope you enjoy.

City Rising — cityrising.org

Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit" (intro music)

00:00 – Cold Open

01:07 – Intro

02:20 – Meet Mike Marbach

06:14 – Play, Improv & the Brain

17:00 – ADHD & Class Transformations

25:00 – Connection Building

29:00 – Improv in Pop Culture

39:00 – The Goal of Improv

48:00 – Being Yourself

58:00 – Arts, Wages & Transit in Indy

1:04:00 – Horror Movies

1:06:00 – Closing Question & Where to Find Mike

Episode Summary:

This week, I sat down with Ben Inskeep from Citizens Action Coalition, someone I've followed on Twitter for a while and who always gets me riled up about data centers. We got into the environmental toll, the grid risks, the sad math on jobs per megawatt, and the deeper AI conversation around stolen labor, harmful use cases, and who actually benefits.

Sponsor:

City Rising — cityrising.org

Music:

Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit"

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro

01:24 – Meet Ben & CAC

08:52 – Environmental & grid impact of data centers

13:56 – Jobs vs. power consumption

16:07 – AI, copyright & slop

18:03 – AI harms

22:31 – Legitimate AI uses & the hype bubble

26:41 – Economic fallout of automation

30:35 – Grok, Memphis & environmental injustice

34:23 – Subsidies & lack of transparency

39:20 – Moratoriums & local fights

41:49 – How to get involved

46:00 – Politicians dismissing opposition

47:47 – Sponsor break

48:19 – Third spaces & libraries

54:06 – Rapid-fire: previous guest's question, Luddites, final thoughts

1:01:06 – Sign-off

The Monon Trail Sale, organized by @AmandainIndy, asked Third Space Indy to attend on the second day as a merchant, where I sat down and talked to people walking through and browsing wares! I had a great time and hope you enjoy listening.

Sponsors:

City Rising (cityrising.org)

Proformus Urban Planning & Design

Intro music:

Scared Rabbit by Jennasen

Timestamps:

* Annabella — 0:19

* Sarah — 12:34

* Tim — 21:28

* Mary McDonough Aguilera — 35:58

* Omar — 51:55

* Anderson York — 58:30

* Shaianne — 1:15:44

* Margret — 1:26:03

Mokao is a festival celebrating Coffee and Chocolate; this year, they celebrated the Americas and indigenous traditions. Third Space Indy was invited to table at the event, and while tabling, I engaged whoever was willing to sit down with me in a short conversation.

Sponsors:

City Rising (cityrising.org)

Proformus Urban Planning & Design

Intro music:

Scared Rabbit by Jennasen

Timestamps:

* Anna — 0:36

* Brie — 5:17

* Bhavna Thapar (Little India restaurant) — 10:46

* Finley — 13:34

* Jared — 16:12

* Michelle — 19:32

* Marc — 23:22

* Hang — 32:27

* Patrick Armstrong — 37:07

* Ryan — 42:31

* Kate Grimm — 48:19

* Cameron Smith — 52:11

* Ariel Hendrickson & Nick Dietrich — 54:37

This week, I sat down with Clockwork Janz, the Creator of Frankensteam, in their backyard. We discussed the marriage of food and music in their work and life. We also talked about slowing down to spend time with friends, oral fixations, and holding hands with John Cage. I really had a great time talking to Clockwork, and I hope you enjoy this episode.

Sponsors:

City Rising (cityrising.org)

Proformus Urban Planning & Design

Intro music:

Scared Rabbit by Jennasen

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro/teaser

1:43 Show intro & guest intro

2:34 Meet Clockwork Janz

4:15 What is Frankensteam?

4:57 Origin of Frank

9:18 Solar power pivot

10:35 Getting into food

11:58 Grandma & cooking roots

19:15 Oral fixation theory

20:32 Music career overview

29:33 Creating presence through food & music

35:47 Sponsor / City Rising

44:05 John Cage & "4'33""

54:58 Question for next guest

56:17 Outro & where to find Clockwork