Loneliness is a big deal, and it’s become an actual epidemic. And, while it may seem simple to combat (the opposite of loneliness is belonging and community, right?), creating belonging and community can actually be much harder. This is what Emma McIntyre is all about. She builds events that create belonging — from farmers markets to winter festivals to senior socials — and this episode is all about how small towns can replicate these ideas at any scale by focusing on comfort

This episode dives into the amazing creative journey of Tesa Klein, the cowgirl-turned-entrepreneur behind Wildflowers, who rebuilt her business after years in the rodeo world and rediscovered her spark. She’s deeply rooted in rural (she lives in a NoDak town of 50!) but has had her share of big-time viral moments. It’s an inspiring look at trusting yourself even when your dreams don’t seem to match your zip code, and we love hearing her take on balance and dreaming big from

In this episode, we sit down with “Oakes Folks” Jackie Knutson and Lisa Schulz, a mother–daughter duo who represent two generations deeply invested in their hometown. They talk about leaving and returning, building belonging, showing up for community, navigating change, and why small towns need to both embrace the future and remember the past in order to thrive. It’s a heartfelt, grounded conversation about loving where you live, even when it’s not perfect. About Jackie and L

One of our favorite guests is back! Ben Winchester is a rural researcher who digs into the intersection of housing, demographics, and community vitality. In this episode, we’re going over some of his latest research and the trends he’s seeing, and why now is the time to make plans for growing our small towns. There are tons of opportunities, but we have to go out and grab them! Our favorite thing about Ben is that he provides context and action around data (even tough data!)

This week, we’re chatting with an amazing human about amazing stuff. Okay, fine, every week we talk with amazing humans about amazing stuff, but this episode is a great one. Rebecca visits with Ashley Geigle, Economic Development Director for Murdo, South Dakota, about how she built a brand-new role from scratch. (Like, from scratch, like growing and milling the wheat for the flour level of scratch, not box mix scratch.) Ashley talks about learning through challenges, buildin

In this episode, Rebecca talks with longtime friend and former economic developer Justin Neppl about what it really means to reimagine economic development for small towns. For years, economic development has focused on the same things, but the future looks different. This episode is about collaboration, trust, and people-centered leadership and how they can come together to update traditional models to make futures brighter for our small towns. About Justin: Justin Neppl is

Sometimes things are rough, whether it’s for a little bit, a season, or longer. This episode is straight from our founder and leader, and she’s sharing reflections and encouragement for anyone who’s felt exhausted, uncertain, or overwhelmed by the weight of showing up for their community or business. It’s lovely work, but it can also feel heavy and lonely, so if you’ve ever felt that way, this episode is for you. In this episode, you'll hear: That your energy is a limited res

Childcare is a huge challenge for many families, and this is of course true for small towns. When Alex and Tyler’s daycare closed their...

One of the most common concerns we hear from small-town leaders and residents is the idea of the “brain drain,” or the fear that young...

We’ve heard it, and you probably have too: “People don’t want to move to rural communities.” Or, “Talented people don’t want to live in...

Housing development is a key focus for many small towns, and for good reason: we need places for people to live! But, sometimes...

We are kicking off the second part of Season 5 with a bang and sharing one of the coolest programs we’ve had the pleasure of learning...

This is a first on the podcast and a great ending to the first part of Season 5 (we’ll be back in September with more episodes!) One of...

This episode is about the rural lawyer shortage, why it’s happening, why it matters, and what we can do about it. This is a new-to-us...

We focus a lot on belonging here at Growing Small Towns, and one of the most important groups (that sometimes gets neglected by...

When we think of politics, I think a lot of us feel intimidated or like there isn’t room for us in the process–we’re not “political,” or...

Meredith is easily one of the most interesting and unusual people we’ve ever had on the podcast, and her story is a testament to just how...

This episode is a listener-submitted Small Town People Problem, and it’s one we hear a lot: What do we do about local negativity? How do...

We underestimate the power of love–or maybe limit the places where we deem it appropriate–but that’s silly because love is the most...

Each season, we’re going to have a few episodes that directly address your small-town people problems. For our first one, we’re starting...