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People, Place, & Purpose is a weekly podcast where host, Kate Luczko, interviews and gets to know business owners and tells their stories - the passion, the learning, the pivoting, the joy…. And how networking and building relationships play an integral role. Do you find yourself wondering where someone got their big idea, or how they took the leap to leave a traditional role to start something of their own? Before you travel somewhere, do you spend lots of time searching the internet and re ...
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Lisa Carlin has an artistic spirit as evidenced by her time spent studying graphic arts and interior design, and you can feel so much of that background woven into her business, Poppies with Purpose. As a breast cancer survivor whose bright pink shoes provided a beacon of hope and a bright spot through her rigorous treatment, she’s bringing those s…
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Kate Morneau is the founding attorney at Morneau Law, focused on family law. Kate dreamed of being a lawyer from when she was a kid and despite some bumps in the road, pursued that goal tenaciously. Now as the owner of her own law firm, Kate is finding ways to innovate and approach the work differently, alongside creating a more collaborative atmos…
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Nancy Bruns is the 7th generation family member and owner of J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works located in Malden, West Virginia. Production for the original company started in 1817, moved to their current location in 1832, and they produced salt until 1945, before restarting again in 2013. The history, the business model, the process, it’s all fascinating!…
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Ed Aloise, a native of New York City, is the former owner of four restaurants, most recently Republic Café and Campo Enoteca. As of recently, Ed is spending his professional time as a restaurant consultant in the hopes of helping others be successful in the space. With his newly-found free time, he’s an avid cyclist, writer with a book in the works…
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Steveo Stewart is currently the President and Owner of Horizon Insurance, based in coastal North Carolina. While his background is varied, including time spent in the military and as owner of a construction company, despite being the owner of an insurance company now, Steveo is really in the technology and data business. We spend a lot of time talk…
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Fred Bramante is a self-proclaimed lover of rock-and-roll and education. His initial claim to fame was starting Daddy’s Junky Music in September of 1972, originally the smallest of over 11,000 music stores in the country, but grew to be the 15th largest in the United States. It’s a wild story full of excitement and heartbreak. Since Daddy’s closure…
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Paul LeBlanc was born in Canada and grew up primarily in Waltham, MA after immigrating to the United States as a child, speaking only French initially, and was a first-generation college graduate. Now he’s the President of Southern NH University (SNHU), the largest nonprofit provider of online higher education in the country with over 185,000 stude…
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Mike Doehla is a longtime health and fitness enthusiast who was able to turn his passions into a very successful company, Stronger U, which he recently sold. Mike is a really down-to-earth guy, and he has a super thoughtful approach, in that he thinks through decisions and information from many angles. His perspective on topics like health and nutr…
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Mary Dimouro was born and raised in Massachusetts and is a die-hard New England fan. After being a salesperson in a variety of roles for many years, including with Lego, Mary longed to be able to sell something she created. When an opportunity to own and run her own business fell into her lap, she started on the entrepreneurship journey with On the…
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Ben White is a Massachusetts native, but his heart is clearly in Utah where he has lived since college. As a bit of an accidental entrepreneur, he has chosen to prioritize fun and a “ski every day” lifestyle, which led him to create White Cloud Adventures and more recently, White Cloud Concierge. We’ll hear about both of those and much more from Be…
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Natasha Buffo is a native Californian, now residing in South Lake Tahoe, and a new puppy Mom to Poppy, a yellow lab mix. Her education was focused on sociology and mathematical sciences, but as an outdoor adventurer with a love for writing and a passion for mental health, she now spends her days as a freelance writer and instructor for Mental Healt…
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Kate Luczko, the host of People, Place, & Purpose, takes us back to her entrepreneurial roots. From a babysitting and nannying business, to brand new roles in nonprofits and for-profit businesses, to teaching yoga, and more. Some of these fun facts may surprise you - and you'll get to know more about Kate's background in the process! Where you can …
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Robert McMillan is a native Georgian, a data scientist, and an avid camper. With his extensive background in technology, he has been a part of multiple entrepreneurial endeavors over the years, including selling seeds from his bicycle as a kid. His current venture, Camping.Tools, came about after he discovered an opportunity while on a trip with hi…
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Kristyn Van Ostern has a background working on political campaigns and in finance, and when doing a deep dive into how her time was being spent, discovered a need and a strong desire to outsource laundry. But when no easy and long-term options presented themselves, she took charge and Wash Street was born! In our conversation, in addition to entrep…
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James and Sarah Budd have worked together pretty much since the day they first met, even prior to starting Alpacas of Montana. James is from Maryland, spent some of his growing up years in the US Virgin Islands, then went to high school in Colorado, whereas Sarah was born and raised in Montana, and spent some time studying in Melbourne, Australia w…
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Tim Clough is one of four co-founders of Iron Furnace Brewing located in Franconia, NH, in the heart of the White Mountains. These four guys, including Tim, were friends in high school and always wanted to start a fun business together and a brewery was the idea that won out! You’ll hear more about a couple of the other ideas during our conversatio…
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Heather Auclair-Welch is the owner of Mermaids and Madeleines, and while she originally hails from Southwest Harbor in Maine and got her start selling artfully decorated rocks as a kid, now she calls Massachusetts home and creates coastal-inspired jewelry and art. The brand evokes positivity, and feelings of calm and joy reminiscent of being near t…
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Charlotte Massey and Georgia Grace Edwards met and became friends while at college in Vermont with Charlotte hailing from Leavenworth, Washington, and Georgia Grace from Frostburg, Maryland, now residing in Seattle, Washington and Gunnison, Colorado, respectively. Charlotte definitely gets the award for the most unique childhood career aspirations,…
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Kristine Deer grew up as the youngest of three girls in the suburbs of New Jersey in a home with artistic and creative parents, and an “art room” in lieu of a dining room. Her love for fashion and hot yoga started her on the journey to create apparel that was both functional and expressive, initially for herself, and ultimately transforming into a …
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Jennifer Desrosiers comes from a background in engineering and found herself wanting less compartmentalization of “real life” and work, and more infusion of her passions and activities that excite her throughout every single day. So, somewhat spontaneously, she founded Laney & Lu, an eatery with a much greater purpose than just delicious food, and …
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Lizzy Lopez grew up between Chicago and Arandas Jalisco, part of the Golden Triangle of tequila-making in Mexico, and now calls Chicago home once again. In 2016 when her father gifted each of his children an acre of land in their family plot in Mexico, Lizzy decided to join the third generation of tequila producers in her family. She was able to pl…
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For almost 22 years, Carrie Mayo has been the owner and art director of Mayo Designs, a full-service creative firm working with mission-driven and socially responsible brands – and they recently received b-corp certification. Beyond being a longtime entrepreneur, Carrie has also traveled the country twice in her 96 sq. ft. camper van and now lives …
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Ashley Brailsford grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina spending lots of time outdoors, as a dedicated girl scout, and being genuinely curious about nature. After acquiring lots of education through both traditional degrees and a variety of jobs, but also learning by doing through living in and traveling to different parts of the country, she decid…
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Amy LaBelle is a former corporate attorney turned winemaker after a trip to Nova Scotia dropped her into a little tiny winery with a blueberry wine that produced a spark. She says that in that little Canadian winery, she had an ah-ha moment that brought forth her life’s purpose. After lots of hard work and challenges along the way, LaBelle Winery n…
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Janelle Fleur Kroon is the Owner, Director of Studios, and Instructor at Bliss Living and Yoga near Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman. It's a yoga studio whose mission is a place for you to “flow, breathe, and grow,” and where everyone, including all of their instructors, feel like family. Janelle grew up in Vancouver, spent summers in the Netherlan…
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Elaine Hamel is the Founder and Executive Director of Girls at Work, a nonprofit whose mission is “to empower girls with tools, unleashing their power and potential to accomplish anything,” and truly, empowering others is her life’s work. From Elaine’s roots in renovations and contracting, to dreams of solving our housing shortage and homeless chal…
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Brandon Chrostowski is the Founder, President & CEO of EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute based in Cleveland Ohio. If you were visiting Cleveland and happened upon his restaurant, you might think it’s just a traditional French restaurant, but in fact, it’s a 501c3 nonprofit focused on providing education, training, and support for those who a…
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Tyler and Medina Gauthier are husband and wife and the co-owners of Mint Printworks based in Nashua, New Hampshire. When a spontaneous move from New England to Hawaii came to an end and they found themselves back in New Hampshire, they decided to start a print shop. From its roots in the attic of their house to a now official space in a historic mi…
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Melinda Williamson was born and raised in Kansas, is of Native American descent, and had dreams of being an entrepreneur all the way back to when she was in the 4th grade and started a house cleaning business through hand drawing a flyer complete with her school picture taped on it and handing out photocopies around town. While her professional car…
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Tyler Ray is the Principal of Backyard Concept, the umbrella organization for Frontyard Law, Granite Backcountry Alliance, and Granite Outdoor Alliance – all focused on supporting outdoor recreation and helping to promote and advocate for the economic benefits of the industry. He escaped the traditional world of practicing law to live and work wher…
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Corinne Milien is the proud daughter of Haitian immigrants, and thus a first-generation American, now calling Cumming, Georgia home. After serving in the United States Air Force, Corinne worked for Pat Summit and the University of Tennessee Women’s Basketball Team, ESPN, and eventually co-founded and led the non-profit, the Winning Edge Leadership …
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Ryan Barton is the Founder and CEO of Mainstay Technologies, a full IT and Information Security provider for small and medium sized businesses in Northern New England. And while it has now been 18 years and his team has grown to about 80 people, he says he actually started the business by accident. In our conversation, Ryan shares more about the bu…
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Despite thinking, when she was younger, that she would never end up staying in her hometown of Allegan, Michigan, Landria Johnson now runs her very popular headband company, The Sassy Olive, from her hometown. They’re located downtown in a 12,000 sq foot historic building she owns, and where she now employs 22 additional people. In this episode, La…
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Amanda Osmer is the Fourth Generation Steward of Grappone Automotive Group, which includes five new car dealerships (Honda, Mazda, Toyota, Ford, and Hyundai), used cars, wholesale parts, and service, but Amanda both isn’t a car person, nor is she motivated by money, and yet, she wakes up every morning excited to get to go to work and absolutely lov…
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Suzelle Snowden is the Founder and President of Fit Bodies, and when she’s not living out of a suitcase and jet-setting around the world, she lives in northeast Kentucky. Suzelle is an incredible spark of energy and after listening to her story and her consistent drive to try new things, it probably won’t surprise you that she has been a certified …
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Dr. Kelly Parker-Mello is the Physician and Owner at Tailored Pediatric Medicine in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a direct primary care practice. Discovering her love of anatomy and physiology in high school put Kelly on the path to becoming a doctor. She has always been a go-getter – marrying her high school sweetheart, getting a puppy, buying a hous…
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Laura Barnard is from the suburbs of Chicago and after a couple of times venturing down paths, she felt like she “should” take (taking the LSAT, law school admission test, thinking she would be a sports agent ala Jerry Maguire, going into the family home building business), she discovered a passion for marketing. In the marketing realm, she had the…
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Mariah Morgan lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and arrived there by way of Texas, Connecticut, and San Francisco. She’s the founder and principal at Stout Heart, which recently celebrated its 7th anniversary of being in business. Stout Heart is a full-service creative marketing agency serving "brave brands," centered around building relationship…
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Elyssa Alfieri is the owner of Lilise Designer Resale, also known as LDR, and she’s the founder of her own clothing line, Inclination, which she describes as “elevated basics with a dash of vintage and estate jewelry, curated for each season.” Elyssa is a social media maven, super community minded, and incredibly generous with her infectious energy…
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Crustology is a direct-to-consumer, handmade, Midwest-style, cracker crust pizza crust company created in Waukesha, Wisconsin about 30 minutes outside Milwaukee, owned by a brother-sister duo. Chris Miller has a marketing background by education and previously owned a company selling private-label sodas to bars and restaurants. Anne Cookson has a d…
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Javion Blake is originally from Montego Bay, Jamaica and by way of Montana, New Mexico, and other spots, now resides in Colorado. He’s an engineer by training, and as he said, that allowed him to learn “how to use the resources around you to create the things you want to see,” which is exactly what he has done in starting Jus Chill International. T…
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Johanna Voss has a background working on political campaigns, operations, nutrition coaching, and has leveraged all of that experience, plus her desire to build relationships with those around her, into the business she launched in 2016 as a Talent Manager & Agent for Female Social Media Influencers + Bloggers. Johanna’s role is one that is still f…
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Jenny Cheifetz is former baking company and food truck solopreneur who baked to order from her home commercial kitchen providing sweet treats (including some delicious sounding s’mores cupcakes) for corporate events, celebrations of life, birthday parties, food truck events, and a variety of other happenings but she continually grappled with how to…
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Pete Colman is the owner of Vermont Salumi and AR Market, both located in Barre, Vermont. Pete was born in Italy and moved to VT early in life. He spent summers in Umbria, Italy, and the rest of his growing up years on Cate Farm, an organic plant and produce farm in Plainfield, Vermont. Pete has a healthy appetite for food, of course, but also for …
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Kristin Hardwick is a New Hampshire native, and what I would call a "multipreneur." Different than a serial entrepreneur, as she has not just had multiple, successive entrepreneurial ventures, but multiple ventures at the same time – triplets, as we speak - a photography business, a coworking space, and a new personal assistant company. During our …
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Lloyd Ahlquist, also known as EpicLLOYD, is a childhood friend of mine who was a gymnast through middle school, high school, and he started college for gymnastics, but eventually stepped away from the mat. Lloyd took that hard work and determination he learned being a gymnast and put it into his life as an entertainer – an improv comedian, actor, w…
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Krysta Lewis is a licensed esthetician, certified makeup artist, and the founder and CEO of Aisling Organic. After suffering health issues caused by her makeup, at 21 years old, Krysta dove headfirst into the world of entrepreneurship and started Aisling focused on clean, organic products with botanically-based ingredients. Her dedication not just …
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Kate Fosson is the Co-Founder and “Brand Hunter” of Brand Pollinators whose mission is “Inspiring purpose-driven brands to achieve sustainable excellence through values-driven consulting, relevant resource sharing, and high-impact networking.” Her life as a military spouse includes moving to another part of the country about every two years and in …
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John Mortimer is the Owner and Founder of Millennium Running. John was a runner in high school and college, eventually had a professional running career with Reebok and Adidas, went on to coach at the college level, and eleven years ago, out of both necessity and a passion for the sport, started a running company. Millennium Running hosts signature…
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Amy McCoy is the Creative Director, Illustrator, and Founder of Tiny Farmhouse based in southeastern Massachusetts, right near the Rhode Island border. She has spent her career as a Freelance Broadcast Producer, but loves being an artist, traveling, growing her own food and raising animals, spending time in nature, and thinking about sustainability…
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