You know that weirdly specific thing your friend’s obsessed with? Like speed jigsaw puzzling. Or dressing up as Santa. Or raising wild turkeys. This show is about those people.
Each episode, host Leslie Eiler Thompson finds a niche interest—and then gently, curiously, hilariously peels back the layers to find out why it matters for everyone. It’s funny. It’s surprisingly moving. It’s like a deep dive into the strange and beautiful stuff that makes us, us.
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Join us in a Waffle House booth as we meet Rick Blankenship, a masterful vintage car radio restorer. As we savored the Southern charm of the setting, Rick shared about his work of restoring vintage radios to their original glory while integrating modern features like Bluetooth, offering a blend of nostalgia and convenience. Through our conversation, we learned about Rick's journey from being a drummer in a band to becoming an award-winning restorer, highlighting the artistry and dedication required in his craft. We explored the significance of classic car radios as symbols of self-expression and identity, as well as the challenges and joys of preserving automotive history.
While Leslie works on the next Niche, we are bringing back a niche that many of you haven't heard yet. And it's about Wild Turkeys and the folks who conserve them.
In the conclusion of our Wild Turkey conservation story, we zoom out from the bird itself to the bigger picture: the land, the people, and the questions that shape how conservation really works.
We’ll hear how the indigenous peoples shaped not only hunting traditions, but the relationship to the Wild Turkey, which gave way to the niche of its conservation. AND you'll learn why conserving turkeys isn’t just about saving a species, but about rethinking our relationship with the natural world. From native Americans to biologists in the field to hunters in the blind, from historical roots to present-day challenges, this episode ties together what wild turkeys can teach us about reciprocity, responsibility, and resilience.
If you missed Part 1, be sure to start there for the full story.
ABOUT THE SHOW:
Niche to Meet You is an investigative storytelling podcast about the little-known niche interests. Our work has been featured on Nashville Public Radio and has been seen by millions through a recentl. We use miniseries and individual interviews to introduce listeners to folks involved with , , , and more.
🦃 Wild Turkeys, Part 1 [re-air]
Episode 26
Friday, September 5, 2025 • Duration 50:46
We're bringing turkeys back. Two parts this time. This is the first part.
While Leslie works on the next Niche, we are bringing back a niche that many of you haven't heard yet. And it's about Wild Turkeys and the folks who conserve them. STICK WITH US!!!!!! ITS REALLY SURPRISING! It's not just about hunting (though yes, we do have to talk about that...), it's about so much more.
Once on the brink of extinction, wild turkeys are now one of America’s greatest conservation success stories. But keeping their numbers strong isn’t just about the bird—it’s about people from every corner of politics, hunters and conservationists, just everyday people working to preserve habitats and traditions. In this episode, we explore the remarkable comeback of the wild turkey and what it says about our relationship to the natural world...and each other.
ABOUT THE SHOW:
Niche to Meet You is an investigative storytelling podcast about the little-known niche interests. Our work has been featured on Nashville Public Radio and has been seen by millions through a recentviral instagram reel.It's like if Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Revisionist History teamed up for a Netflix special. We use miniseries and individual interviews to introduce listeners to folks involved with , , , and more.
🐶🏃🏽♂️➡️🎸🥘⚔️🎅🏼 Every Hobby Has a Story: A Summer Road Trip Radio Special
Episode 25
Friday, August 8, 2025 • Duration 54:06
Our summer radio special, in partnership with American Public Media
We got invited to produce an hourlong radio special for American Public Media, and wanted to share it with you. It’s taken from some of our early episodes, so if you’ve joined Niche Nation in 2025, this is all new content for you!
So hop on the niche party bus, because we’re taking you on a summer road trip to explore niche interests both on-the-road and at home. From Rubik’s speed cubing to dog agility, and from regional cooking to competitive jigsaw puzzling.
Somewhere deep in the Tennessee woods, there’s a race with no finish line — at least not one most people will ever reach. There’s no official website, no posted start time, and the course changes every year. Runners carry pages torn from books as proof they’ve completed each loop. And it all begins with the lighting of a cigarette.
The Barkley Marathons isn’t just an ultramarathon. It’s a ritual. A myth. A puzzle designed to break you — mentally, physically, spiritually. In this episode, we crack open a great American novel written in the 1800s, Moby Dick, as a map to discover a bizarre niche that even has its own captain Ahab, a man named Lazarus Lake. But whereas Ahab is driven by hate for the white whale, Laz and the runners of the Barkley are driven by something completely different. What we find in our quest is the same Ishmael found in his search for the white whale: it’s a meditation on suffering, identity, and the purpose of attempting the impossible.
In this episode, Leslie heads into the wilds of Instagram to explore one of the internet’s most unexpectedly wholesome communities: Stick Nation (or should we call them Stick Nicheon?!?!). What started with a single stick and a simple review became a global phenomenon, now with over 3 million followers united by their love of nature’s simplest artifact. Leslie talks with the founders of @officialstickreviews, Logan and Boone, about how their playful videos turned into viral content and why sticks—yes, literal sticks—hold such power in our stories, imaginations, and daily lives. Along the way, Leslie finds a stick of her own, puts it through the rigorous Stick Review process, and even recruits her three-year-old daughter for a neighborhood stick hunt. Plus, New York Times columnist Margaret Renkl joins to reflect on why this niche matters more than we might think.
LINKS MENTIONED:
🧩 Speed Puzzling | Part 2: Why we need the jigsaw puzzle
Episode 19
Friday, March 21, 2025 • Duration 26:03
History, science, and Leslie tries to beat a national champ.
LINKS:
Join the Niche List (our monthly newsletter…er, Nicheletter) and BE SURPRISED when we announce something HUGE in a few days.
Where’d the puzzle come from? Why does it matter that puzzle companies CARE about the people who solve them? Which puzzles can be picked up after they’re completed? Why does science support us doing puzzles? And how much of a 500 piece puzzle can Leslie do in the same time as a national champion?
All questions answered in this episode.
Thank you to Springbok Puzzles for sponsoring this story. We are so grateful for your support!
ABOUT NICHE TO MEET YOU:
Niche to Meet You is an investigative storytelling podcast about the little-known niche interests. Our work has been featured on Nashville Public Radio and has been seen in the likes of The Guardian and the 1440 newsletter. Our stories introduce listeners to folks involved with things like , , , and more.
🧩 Speed Puzzling | Part 1: A COVID story
Episode 18
Friday, February 21, 2025 • Duration 33:17
Community, belonging, and solving puzzles (really fast).
LINKS:
Join the Niche List (our monthly newsletter…er, Nicheletter) and get a special announcement on April 6th
While some of us casually work on puzzles over days (or weeks) with family during holidays, some others of us complete puzzles in mere minutes. These folks are called Puzzle People.
In this 2-part series, you’ll meet a Guinness Book of World Record Holder (Tammy McLeod), professional puzzlers (Sarah Schuler), influencers (Karen Kavett), competitors, and even join Leslie as she tries to complete a puzzle as quickly as possible…kind of.
But this isn’t just a story about solving puzzles—it’s about how a global crisis sparked new traditions, deepened human connection, and turned an isolating time into a foundation for community and belonging. In this episode, part 1, Niche to Meet You marks 5 years of COVID through the lens of competitive speed puzzling. In a world that often feels fragmented, puzzling remains a reminder that we’re always finding ways to come together—piece by piece.
🎅🏽 The Niche Before Christmas 🎅🏾
Episode 1
Monday, December 23, 2024 • Duration 05:23
Our favorite Santas read the famous poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas."
Email us! Who are you? What's your niche? What do you like about this show?
Find pictures from Leslie’s time with Santas here.
Looking to give a tax-deductible gift? Consider giving to this project. More information here.
TELL A FRIEND ABOUT US! Is there someone who should know about this project? Tell them. Seriously, just text them. Now!
In this final offering of 2024, we give you the gift of several beloved voices from our Santa miniseries reading us the poem that started it all, A Visit from St. Nicholas (otherwise known as'Twas the Night Before Christmas) on its 201st anniversary. If you haven't listened to the miniseries yet, now is the time!
Special thanks to WPLN Nashville Public Radio, for premiering this piece on your station!
VOICES FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
🎅🏽 Professional Santas | Part 1: Jolly Old St. Nicholas
Episode 14
Friday, December 6, 2024 • Duration 32:32
The origins of the professional Santa.
Email us with your favorite part of this episode or what it made you think about!
TELL A FRIEND ABOUT US! Is there someone who should know about this project? Tell them. Seriously, just text them. Now!
This first episode in the Professional Santa miniseries is about history: where Santa came from with historian Stephanie Fulbright, and when the culture of PORTRAYING him started with Santa Phil. We cover the viral poem that made him famous, the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, and the Mount Rushmore of Professional Santas while hearing from actual Santa Portrayal Artists and Santa historians.
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Show theme and “My Father’s Wand” original composition by by Abigail Flowers with this arrangement of the theme Produced & Arranged by Abigail Flowers, Chris Leidhecker, Kevin Gift
