Seacoast Stories – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Jeremiah and Nicole Vernon can't take it anymore.

The complaints from the neighbors. The town meetings. The regulation boards. The financial burdens. The stress. The tears. The drama.

They just want to focus on what they love to do: Responsibly growing nutritious and delicious food for the thousands of customers who attend their famous agritourism events, shop in the farm store, and value local farms.

Tired of fighting these battles behind closed doors, the Vernons are ready to talk about the 10 years they've owned and operated the farm.

And that's why they're on the podcast today.

In today's conversation from Vernon Family Farm in Newfields, N.H., Jeremiah and Nicole Vernon join me to discuss:

• Jeremiah's love for farming (00:00)
• Jeremiah and Nicole's smelly first date (04:50)
• The Vernon Family Farm backstory (08:10)
• The financial challenges of running a farm (15:20)
• Agritourism (18:22)
• The neighbors' complaints with VFF (20:20)
• The Vernon's mental health struggles (32:58)
• The uncertain future of Vernon Family Farm (44:25)
• What's your mission? (55:07)
• BONUS: The issue with "Big Ag" (56:38)

Jeremiah and Nicole Vernon are the owners and operators of Vernon Family Farm in Newfields, N.H., and they’ve been in business since 2014. Known for their events that bring live music, farm-grown food and beer to the community, the Vernons have built a robust following.

For more information on the events and offerings from the farm, please visit VernonFamilyFarm.com or give them a follow on Instagram @VernonFamilyFarm.

This podcast is hosted, written, researched, and produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Troy Farkas⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. To support the telling of more important ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Seacoast Stories ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠like this one, please FOLLOW this podcast on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and/or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ feeds.

BACKGROUND READING:

• “Farming Right: Newfields Neighbors Address Concerns with Vernon Family Farm,” Seacoastonline/Portsmouth Herald, Letter to the Editor
• "Newfields Neighbors Sue Town, Vernon Family Farm" New Hampshire Union Leader
• “Newfields Family Farm and Town Sued by Neighbors Over Agritourism Events,” New Hampshire Public Radio

• "Neighbors Clash Over Vernon Family Farm Agritourism Events in Newfields" The Portsmouth Herald

*WARNING* This episode contains discussion about suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

Carley Crain felt lonely.

Away from her college friends, confused about her career path, drowned in student loan debt, and frustrated by social media algorithms that told her she was failing, Carley started feeling an all-consuming sadness that she couldn't shake.

She wanted a way out.

But she didn't take it. Instead, she sought the help she needed. And now, through her work at Connections Peer Support, she's offering services to those who struggle with the very issues Carley was (and still is) navigating post-college.

In today's conversation from my makeshift studio in downtown Portsmouth, Connections Peer Support Community Outreach Director Carley Crain and I discuss:

• My past mental health issues (00:00)
• Manchester's bad reputation (04:00)
• Battling depression and anxiety (08:30)
• Carley's hospitalization (14:00)
• Social media's impact on mental health (19:20)
• The benefits of peer support (21:07)
• Changing the narrative around suicide (31:35)
• Mental health struggles for the LGBTQ+ community (43:20)
• What's your mission? (56:00)

Carley Crain is the Community Outreach Director for Connections Peer Support, a peer support center with locations in Portsmouth and Northwood, N.H. Peer support is a non-clinical method for treating mental health issues, and it's FREE.

A product of Hooksett, N.H. and a graduate of Springfield College, Carley studied sports journalism and sociology in college. She's also a proud advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.

--For more information on the offerings at Connections, visit ConnectionsPeerSupport.org. For non-urgent situations pertaining to mental health, you can reach their "warmline" between 5 and 10 p.m. during the week by calling 603-427-6966. For urgent matters, please dial 988.

To support the telling of more important ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Seacoast Stories ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠like this one, please FOLLOW this podcast on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and/or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ feeds. It helps more than you think.

This podcast is hosted, written, researched, and produced by Spotify's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Troy Farkas⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, who moved to the Seacoast in June 2023. If you'd like to nominate Troy for Catapult's ⁠"10 to Watch" award⁠, which honors hard-working young professionals on the Seacoast, please do so ⁠here.

Emily Spencer set her sights on winning the Miss New Hampshire pageant eight years ago.

First, she won Miss Bedford in 2019. And then Miss Greater Nashua in 2022, Miss Rockingham County and Miss Winnipesaukee in 2023, and then, in May of 2024, she was crowned Miss New Hampshire.

Now, the 23-year-old Bedford, NH, native has her gaze set on an even bigger prize, a prize that Miss New Hampshire has never won before: the coveted Miss America title.

In today's conversation from my makeshift studio in Portsmouth, Emily and I discuss:

• Winning Miss New Hampshire (00:00)
• The long road to becoming Miss NH (06:05)
• The positives and negatives of the job (10:00)
• Emily's future aspirations (26:11)
• Miss America preparation (30:25)
• Emily's New Hampshire upbringing (34:20)
• Emily's service initiative, Miss Inspiration (39:33)
• What's your mission? (49:30)

Emily Spencer is the current Miss New Hampshire. A participant in pageants across the state since 2016, Emily is also a graduate of Point Park University, one of the top dancing schools in the country. She currently lives in Bedford, where she splits her time dancing for a local company, choreographing, working as a flexologist, and fulfilling her laundry list of duties as Miss New Hampshire.

--For more information on how to support Emily and the Miss New Hampshire program, please visit MissNH.org.

--To support the telling of more awesome ⁠Seacoast Stories ⁠like this one, please FOLLOW this podcast on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and/or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ feeds. It helps more than you know.

This podcast is hosted, written, researched, and produced by Spotify's ⁠⁠⁠Troy Farkas⁠⁠⁠, who lives in downtown Portsmouth.

Pete Beauregard was tired of "catching bad guys" in cyberspace.

So to fill the space left unfulfilled by his day job, he started brewing beer at his home in Portsmouth. Shortly after (and years before craft beer had taken off in New Hampshire) Pete and some buddies toyed with the idea of opening a brewery.

And in 2014, after receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding, the group of four men executed their vision by opening Stoneface Brewing off Exit 4 in Newington, N.H. In the 10 years since opening, Stoneface has built a strong brand, opened a restaurant, and united a community primarily on the shoulders of one signature beverage: the Stoneface IPA.

In today's conversation from Stoneface Brewing, Pete and I discuss:

• Pete Beauregard's introduction to brewing (00:00)
• The founding of Stoneface Brewing (06:20)
• Stoneface IPA's insane popularity (21:00)
• The Seacoast Seltzer (25:26)
• The brewing process (27:52)
• Stoneface's restaurant (33:57)
• Reflecting on 10 years of Stoneface Brewing (36:32)
• What's your mission? (40:04)
• The Final Final Question (43:20)

Pete Beauregard is one of four co-founders of Stoneface Brewing, one of the Seacoast's most popular drinking destinations. Founded in Newington, N.H. in 2014, Stoneface is known best for its signature Stoneface IPA, which accounts for 75-85% of the brewery's production. Their latest creation, the Seacoast Seltzer, is now available in stores across the Seacoast.

--For more information on upcoming events, product launches, and menu updates, visit StonefaceBrewing.com.

--To support the telling of more awesome Seacoast Stories like this one, please FOLLOW this podcast on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and/or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ feeds. It helps more than you know.

This podcast is hosted, written, researched, and produced by Spotify's ⁠⁠Troy Farkas⁠⁠, who lives in downtown Portsmouth.

Eventually, in the future, one day, someday.

That's when Bridget and Robbie Jenkins decided they'd go all in on their dream business: Growing and distributing local flowers on the Seacoast.

But, they made excuses. They couldn't find the time. They had other businesses to tend to. Yet, the inner voices pulling them toward their future remained.

And as fate would have it, the universe gave the couple the push they needed. At that point, they couldn't ignore the voices any longer.

In today's conversation from their (echo-y) farmhouse, Bridget and Robbie sit down with me to discuss:

• Bridget Jenkins' Seacoast Story (00:00)
• Bridget's intuitive eating counselor career (08:31)
• The beginning of Nowadays Flowers (15:10)
• The scary moment that changed everything (23:10)
• Reflecting on Nowadays Flowers' success (33:56)
• What's your mission? (48:58)
• The Final Final Question (50:56)

Bridget and Robbie Jenkins are the co-founders of Nowadays Flowers, a micro flower farm seated on unceded Abenaki, Pennacook and Wabanaki Confederacy land in Dover, N.H. With the help of their beloved flower truck named Clover, Bridget and Robbie host educational workshops, design custom arrangements, and also deliver unique arrangements for weddings, bridal showers, and the event of your dreams.

--For more information on how you can support Bridget and Robbie, visit NowadaysFlowers.com.

--To support the telling of more incredible Seacoast Stories like this one, please FOLLOW this podcast on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and/or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ feeds. It helps more than you know.

This podcast is hosted, written, researched, and produced by Spotify's ⁠Troy Farkas⁠, who lives in downtown Portsmouth.

*TRIGGER WARNING* This episode contains references to addiction. Listener discretion is advised.

Steve Ivanoski wanted to help people. So he chose to pursue a career in pharmacy.

Then, after spending years in the industry, he'd had enough. The peeks behind the curtain, coupled with his own personal battle with drug addiction, led him to leave behind everything he'd ever known in search of a better way to help people.

With the hope of filling in the blind spots left by Western medicine, Steve forayed into entrepreneurship with Dr. Beewell, a Seacoast-based wellness company that combines the nutritional benefits of honey with the therapeutic benefits of cannabis to provide consumers with a holistic path to better health.

In today's conversation from my home studio, Steve and I discuss:

• Steve Ivanoski's pharmacy education (00:00)
• Painkiller addiction (06:17)
• Using cannabis as medicine (15:50)
• Leaving the pharmacy industry (17:37)
• Steve's wellness company, Dr. Beewell (22:32)
• Simple advice for a healthy life (31:32)
• What's your mission? (33:55)
• The Final Final Question (35:26)

Steve Ivanovski is the owner and founder of Dr. Beewell, a wellness company serving Mass., N.H., and Maine. Originally from Easton, Mass., Steve attended Northeastern University, where he worked hard to become a pharmacist like his brother. After leaving the industry behind a few years ago, he founded Dr. Beewell and also began the Dr. Beewell podcast. He currently lives in Dover, N.H.

--For more information on where you can purchase delicious Dr. Beewell honey, visit Dr.Beewell.com.

--To support the telling of more Seacoast Stories like this one, please FOLLOW this podcast on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ and/or ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠ feeds. It helps more than you know.

This podcast is hosted, written, researched, and produced by Spotify's Troy Farkas, who lives in downtown Portsmouth.

For the first 20+ years of her life, soccer was all that Katy Marshall knew. It was her entire identity.

But when reality set in that she wouldn't play professionally, panic ensued. What was her purpose without sports, and where should she go to find it?

Over the next few years, Katy asked herself these questions as she left the Seacoast in search of self-discovery. She eventually found the answers she craved, but she found them in the most unlikely of places.

In her first podcast interview, Katy opens up about life before, during, and after the founding of Studio One, the Dover-based cycling studio that gives Katy everything she's searching for in this life.

In today's conversation from the Studio One lobby, Katy and I discuss:

• Katy Marshall's Seacoast Story (00:00)
• How Katy lost her sense of self after school (05:30)
• Katy's path to becoming a spin instructor (14:00)
• Studio One's CRAZY origin story (17:35)
• Building culture and community at Studio One (37:38)
• What's your mission? (43:23)
• The Final Final Question (46:09)

Katy Marshall is the owner and founder of Studio One Cycling, Dover's first indoor cycling studio. Originally from Eliot, ME, Katy played Division III college soccer, worked barista jobs in Seattle, and taught spin classes in Nashville and California before eventually returning to the Seacoast to start her business in late 2020.

--To learn more about the various fitness classes Katy's studio offers, please visit StudioOneCycling.com.

--To support the telling of more incredible Seacoast Stories like Katy's, please FOLLOW this podcast on our ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ and/or ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠ feeds.

If you've scrolled through social media at any point in the last two years, chances are you've zoomed past clips of Stanford researcher and podcaster Dr. Andrew Huberman waxing poetic about the amazing health benefits of trends like the cold plunge, sauna, floating, red light therapy, and more.

Well, the Seacoast was participating in the trend long before Dr. Huberman started going viral. In 2018, the floating/sauna/cold plunge craze hit the Seacoast when today's guest, Catherine Markovsky, co-founded FLOTE, a popular Seacoast spot that even Rogan and Huberman would fall in love with.

In today's conversation from FLOTE in Hampton, Catherine and I discuss:

• Catherine Markovsky's Seacoast Story (00:00)
• Catherine Markovsky's background in Chinese medicine (04:10)
• The history of float therapy (09:48)
• Opening FLOTE in 2018 (12:22)
• The science behind sauna/cold plunge (19:15)
• Pushing back against floating + sauna/cold plunge (28:34)
• Catherine Markovsky's business idea for "social wellness" (34:28)
• Prioritizing your health (41:18)
• What's your mission? (43:46)

Catherine Markovsky is the co-owner and co-founder of FLOTE, a float therapy + wellness "soul gym" with locations in Hampton and Portsmouth. After spending her formative years practicing Chinese medicine in California, Catherine moved to the Seacoast in the early 2000s to continue a career in acupuncture. In 2018, she opened FLOTE in Hampton.

--To learn more about all the wellness options FLOTE has to offer, visit seacoastflote.com.

--To support the telling of more incredible Seacoast Stories like Catherine's, please FOLLOW this podcast on our ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ and/or ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ feeds.

After spending 48 hours in the emergency room last summer, doctors diagnosed me with Type 1 diabetes at 27 years old, a rare case of an autoimmune disease that hinders the pancreas' ability to produce insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels as you go about your daily life.

I've spent the last year learning my new body, but I still have so many questions about how to manage this relentless disease. Luckily, comedian Nick Callas (who performed in Portsmouth last month) is an expert on the subject because he's had it since he was six years old. And in today's bonus episode, he and I swap our diabetes stories, talk about how to manage it, and what YOU -- the non-diabetic -- can do to help make the diabetic in your life feel more at ease.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 98,505 of New Hampshire residents have diabetes (8.7%). In Maine, it's 113,186 (10%). The total cost of managing diabetes in New Hampshire each year is $1.3B, and in Maine it's $1.4B. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says 38.4M Americans are diabetic (11.6%).

In Part Two of our conversation from his home office in New York City's Financial District, Nick and I get into:

• My Type 1 diabetes diagnosis in 2023 (00:00)
• Diabetes statistics in NH/Maine (05:17)
• Nick Callas on his T1 diabetes experience (06:52)
• How to manage diabetes (10:23)
• How you can help the diabetic in your life (26:26)
• Why Nick Callas is a T1 diabetes advocate (35:10)
• What is your mission? (37:05)

Nick Callas is a New York City-based actor, rapper, and comedian. While playing at several prominent country clubs across the country, Nick has opened for comedy stars like Colin Jost, Dana Carvey, and Tracy Morgan.

Currently on a comedy tour that's taking him to big cities like Austin, TX, and Chicago, Nick has also appeared in Portsmouth and Portland (ME), with plans to hit Auburn, ME, in July. His first comedy special, "Wolf Pup," premieres June 27 on the popular YouTube channel, 800 Pound Gorilla.

--To watch Nick's comedy special on June 27, subscribe to the ⁠800 Pound Gorilla YouTube channel⁠ so you get notified when it's live. And for more hilarious content from Nick, you can give him a follow on Instagram⁠ @MrNickCallas⁠.

--To support the telling of more incredible Seacoast Stories, please FOLLOW this podcast on our ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ and/or ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ feeds.

****Programming Note: This is a BONUS episode of the podcast. Standard episodes (like with ⁠Courtney Perkins ⁠and ⁠Maggie Sutherland⁠) will air every MONDAY. Moving forward, bonus episodes like today's will publish on occasional THURSDAYS as the opportunities present themselves.

Last month, Nick Callas performed at The Music Hall Lounge on a perfect Friday night in downtown Portsmouth. A friend and I attended the show, and we laughed out loud the entire time as Nick made jokes about Seacoast citizens with boats and the political climate in New England, among many other subjects.

In Part One of our conversation from his home office in New York City's Financial District, Nick and I get into:

• Nick Callas' Seacoast Story (00:00)
• Thoughts on Portsmouth after performing there (03:10)
• Changes in the comedy industry (07:48)
• Nick Callas' comedy approach (10:38)
• Comedy and the heightened political climate (25:25)
• The making of "Wolf Pup" (32:06)

Nick Callas is a New York City-based actor, rapper, and comedian. While playing at several prominent country clubs across the country, Nick has opened for comedy stars like Colin Jost, Dana Carvey, and Tracy Morgan.

Currently on a comedy tour that's taking him to big cities like Austin, TX, and Chicago, Nick has also appeared in Portsmouth and Portland (ME), with plans to hit Auburn, ME, in July. His first comedy special, "Wolf Pup," premieres June 27 on the popular YouTube channel, 800 Pound Gorilla.

--To watch Nick's comedy special on June 27, subscribe to the 800 Pound Gorilla YouTube channel so you get notified when it's live. And for more hilarious content from Nick, you can give him a follow on Instagram @MrNickCallas.

--To support the telling of more incredible Seacoast Stories, please FOLLOW this podcast on our ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ and/or ⁠Spotify⁠ feeds.

****Programming Note: This is a BONUS episode of the podcast. Standard episodes (like with Courtney Perkins and Maggie Sutherland) will air every MONDAY. Moving forward, bonus episodes like today's will publish on occasional THURSDAYS as the opportunities present themselves.