Home of the Small Town Secret Sauce Podcast!
This show is all about empowering you to create the life you want in a small town. Join me as I explore the joys of living a simpler life while succeeding in your business or community organization and overcoming the unique challenges of a smaller population. With inspiring interviews and stories of entrepreneurial success, you will be motivated to take charge and thrive in your small town community.
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Ep. 1 Welcome to the Small Town Secret Sauce Podcast!
This is an introduction to me, Barton Quigley, why I decided to create this podcast, and what you can expect from the show. Click here for the episode.
MOST RECENT EPISODES:
Ep. 29 Sue Ott Rowlands, President of Randolph College
Sue Ott Rowlands is the President of Randolph College, a small Liberal Arts school set on an idyllic campus in Lynchburg, VA. Since arriving in mid-2022, Sue has infused Randolph College with her generous, creative spirit, her passion for the liberal arts, and her love of collaboration and community. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 28 Dr. James Coleman, a Life of Service to the Community
Dr. James Coleman is someone who wears many, many hats, but every single one of them shares the same fabric – service to his community. This man is a pure being of light who has been serving the fine folks of Lynchburg, VA, for over 3 decades. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 27 Elise Spontarelli, Executive Director of Vector Space
Elise Spontarelli is the Executive Director and co-founder of Vector Space – a non-profit makerspace and community workshop here in Lynchburg, VA, which she and her husband Adam founded back in 2015. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 26 Tori Garris, Creator of the Kids’ Show ‘Torbee’, Slowing Things Down in a Fast-Paced World
Tori Garris is the creator and star of the sweet, wholesome kids’ show Torbee, a program that is all about slowing things down in a fast-paced world. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 25 Changing the Futures of Underserved Youth, with Dr. Sterling Wilder, Executive Director of Jubilee Family Development Center
Dr. Sterling Wilder is the founder and Executive Director of Jubilee Family Development Center in Lynchburg, VA. The center is celebrating 25 years of serving the community’s underserved youth. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 24 Our Story, One Year Later
On today’s show, I am going to tell the We Story, one year later, about what happened over the last 12 months since my wife Amy and I decided to burn the boats and trade San Francisco, our home for 24 years, for a small town in Central Virginia with no established network or jobs lined up. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 23 Jared Hesse, Master Barber, Author & Owner of Gentleman John’s Barber Shop
Jared Hesse is a Master Barber and the owner of Gentleman John’s, a throwback classic barber shop in the heart of historic downtown Lynchburg, VA, where he and his team create a sophisticated yet timeless experience for a man’s haircut and shave. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 22 Jessica Wells and the Happy Waffle – Sweet Treats, Happy Vibes, & Mental Health Awareness
Jessica Wells found her calling, and the world of Lynchburg, VA, is better off for it. She owns the Happy Waffle, a food truck that serves sweet and savory waffles on a stick while also spreading positive vibes and mental health awareness. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 21 Megan Huffman, Expanding Community Involvement for a More Inclusive Lynchburg
Megan Huffman is the Director of Community Outreach for the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation. She is also the driving force behind Share Greater Lynchburg, a platform that creates a one-stop shop to easily connect the region’s non-profits with local neighbors and businesses. But there’s so much more to it than that. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 20 Daryl Calfee, Enriching the Community Through Innovative Real Estate Development
Daryl Calfee is the owner of Penny Lane Properties, a local design, development, and construction group in Lynchburg, VA. Several of my past and future guests highly recommended him to be on the show. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 19 Phinees Robert: a Walking Celebration of Life, Music & Community
Phinees Robert, professionally known as “Phinestro,” is a film composer and music producer living in Lynchburg, VA, where he is currently an Artist Resident at the Academy Center of the Arts. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 18 Five Key Lessons for Success and Joy From My Guests
In this episode, I share five key themes for success and joy that are consistent with each of my guests, no matter what industry they operate in or their backgrounds. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 17 Intentional Hospitality with Dave Henderson, Owner of The Water Dog and The Glass House
Dave Henderson runs on service, whether through his restaurants or the non-profits he works with. Dave has a huge heart and cares deeply for his teams and the community they serve. I invite you to hear about his cross-country journey, from the world of corporate finance to a soul search that led him back to his hometown, and to take a chance on a gut feeling. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 16 Transformative Power of Small Town Arts: Geoff Kershner, Executive Director, Academy Center of the Arts
Geoff Kershner is yet another person who I would consider to be a visionary. As the Executive Director of Lynchburg’s Academy Center of the Arts and host of the Small Town Big Arts podcast, Geoff sees the power of the arts as a way to connect and strengthen the community. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 15 Ghost Hunting & Paranormal Investigations, with Shawn Porter, Founder & Owner of GhostStop
Shawn Porter is the founder and owner of GhostStop, which manufactures and sells equipment for ghost hunting and paranormal investigations worldwide. If you’ve ever seen a ghost hunting show on television, then you’ve seen GhostStop equipment in action. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 14 Going “All In” to Find Your True Path, with Coach Kaila Jones
Coach Kaila Jones helps women create empowering mindsets to discover their true potential. She is a pure being of light who speaks wisdom with every word and leaves a lasting impact on the people she meets, including yours truly. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 13 Revitalizing Local Food, Land & Community with Jason Fowler, President & Co-Founder of Land & Table
Jason Fowler is the President and Co-Founder of Land & Table. This grassroots non-profit is on a mission to help create a thriving and resilient local food system in the Lynchburg Virginia region and revitalize connections between local food, land, and community. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 12 Serving the Community Through Food, Shelley Blades, Executive Director of Lynchburg Grows
Shelley Blades is the Executive Director of Lynchburg Grows, a 7-acre non-profit farm in the heart of Lynchburg, VA. Their mission is to “work with our community to provide access to healthy food and afford purposeful jobs to individuals with disabilities.” Click here for the episode.
Ep. 11 Klaire Maranto – Chef & Owner of Klaire’s Kitchen
Klaire Maranto is the founder, owner, and chef of Klaire’s Kitchen, a meal-prep service in Lynchburg, VA. Following her passion for hospitality and healthy living, Klaire saw an opportunity to serve others by creating a business that offers affordable, convenient, healthy meals to nutrition-minded individuals short on time. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 10 Ashley Kershner, Downtown Lynchburg Association’s Executive Director
Many locals I’ve spoken with credit Ashely Kershner as instrumental in turning around downtown Lynchburg, VA, since her arrival in 2016 as the Downtown Lynchburg Association (DLA) Executive Director. With Ashley’s vision, tenacity, endless drive, and commitment to community, the rubber has really been hitting the road, and the future is bright. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 9 Ken Arpino, Executive Director of Wolfbane Productions
Ken Arpino is the Executive Director of Wolfbane Productions, an incredibly talented, wickedly entertaining theatre company located in the tiny town of Appomattox, VA. Wolfbane brings big-time Broadway-quality programs to the small stage, and they do so in their own unique, quirky way. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 8 Marsh Roots Seafood, with Oliver Russell
Oliver Russell is the founder of Marsh Roots Seafood, a retail market in Lynchburg, VA, selling fresh seafood from the coasts of North Carolina and Virginia, which are a four-hour drive away. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 7 Angelina Dawn – Poet, Actress, and Leader of The Listening Inc.
Angelina Dawn is an incredibly talented poet, actress, and author based in Lynchburg, VA. She is also the Executive Director of The Listening, a non-profit whose mission is to empower, change, and save lives through the performing arts and engaging the community. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 6 Curious History Tours, with Kathleen Davis
Kathleen Davis is a comic and the founder of “Curious History Tours,” which dive deep into Lynchburg, Virginia’s wildly colorful past, delivering jaw-dropping trivia that will sometimes make you cringe but often make you laugh. Her spirit simply lights me up, and I hope you get a kick out of this conversation and come away as inspired to make a difference in your community as much as I did. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 5 Creating Spaces & Elevating the Narrative, with Najee Koncept
Najee Koncept is a local hip-hop artist in Lynchburg, VA, who has been in love with writing lyrics and performing since childhood. Najee’s generosity of spirit and ability to create spaces for other artists is truly inspiring, and I invite you to hear our conversation. I hope you will walk away as lit up as I do each time I hear it. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 4 Turning Exclusion Into Belonging, with Amy Corbett
Amy Corbett is the co-founder and CEO of All Belong Co., a vacation property rental company based in Central Virginia, whose company values emphasize welcoming and belonging for people from all walks of life, as well as diversity and authenticity. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 3 Our Story Part Two: Sometimes You Gotta Burn the Boats
On this show I tell the second half of the We Story, of how and why my wife and I decided to trade 30 years of big-city living and start all over in a relatively unknown small town with only a few contacts. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 2 Our Story Part One: Clarity is Key for Massive Transformation
On this show I tell the first half of the We Story, of how and why my wife and I decided to trade 30 years of big-city living and start all over in a small town. Click here for the episode.
Ep. 1 Welcome to the Small Town Secret Sauce Podcast!
This is an introduction to me, Barton Quigley, why I decided to create this podcast, and what you can expect from the show. Click here for the episode.