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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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.
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🎅🏽 Niche to Meet You, Santa [SERIES TRAILER]
Episode 9
Friday, November 22, 2024 • Duration 02:27
Coming December 6th (St. Nicholas Day) – a three-episode series about Santa and the folks who portray him. Listen to the full series here.
Christmas is about more than just presents and decorations—it's about the spirit of giving, love, and bringing joy to others. Many of us anticipate this post-election Holiday season to be tense, perhaps even disheartening. This, in addition to the loss many of us feel during the holidays as loved ones have passed on, means the next few weeks are going to be hard. Really hard.
Professional Santas can help.
This special holiday series of episodes explores the history of Santa, all the way back to Saint Nicholas to today. We'll also tell personal stories from real-life Santas, like Santa Shed, a Middle Tennessee Black Santa who wants to see representation and diversity in the community. Or Santa Donald, who works at the Tennessee School for the Blind and has adapted the character for the children he's watched grow up at the school for decades. Or even Jerusalem Santa, who does his work in the heart of the Holy City in a 700-year-old building. You’ll join Leslie at the International Santa Celebration and meetups, and experience the role wonder and awe plays in the midst of suffering. For these Santas, it’s more than just a hobby. It’s a way of living–and it’s changing the world. Listen to the full series here.
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 by millions through a recent and has been featured in the likes of The Guardian and the 1440 newsletter. We use miniseries and individual interviews to introduce listeners to folks involved with , , , and more.
🐶 Dog Agility: Small wins & big joy with Toast & Amy
Episode 13
Friday, November 1, 2024 • Duration 14:05
Meet dog agility hobbyist, Toast, along with her human companion, Amy.
This Niche vignette visits Toast and her companion Amy as they practice dog agility in their front yard. You’ll hear puppy kisses, excited dog whines, and how dog agility offers more than a hobby—it’s a sanctuary from the stresses of life. Alongside Toast, Amy builds a sense of community with other trainers, finds joy in small victories, and experiences the unexpected solace of focusing on her pup. This episode explores the beauty of hobbies that ground us, showing how even a casual run through a tunnel or the celebration of mastering a jump can bring much-needed respite and joy.
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 by millions through a recentviral instagram reel and has been featured in the likes of The Guardian and the 1440 newsletter. 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.
🦃 Wild Turkey Conservation | Part 1: A Vanishing Icon
Episode 8
Friday, August 16, 2024 • Duration 19:40
Introducing the Wild Turkey Conservation niche. And y’all, it is definitely wild.
In this first episode of the 4 part mini-series about Wild Turkey Conservation we learn about the weird, wonderful Wild Turkey and the effort to conserve it. It’s an important story about mending seemingly irreparable gaps and changing the world. And it’s going to take us to surprising places.
Learn more about the miniseries and give feedback HERE.
🦃 Wild Turkey Conservation | Part 2: Talkin’ Turkey
This is episode 2 in the 4 part mini-series about Wild Turkey Conservation, where we meet the people who have worked to save this historic creature. They’re deeply endearing and they might even catch you off-guard. You’ll hear from turkey callers, call makers, celebrities in Turkey world, and even celebrities OUTSIDE of Turkey world (Matt Light, former Patriots offensive lineman).
Then you’ll join Leslie in the woods to find a turkey herself before ultimately calling in an expert and viral turkey caller, Billy.
At this point in a Niche to Meet You miniseries–episode 3–we pull back the curtain even more on our niche subject, and we talk to the ones who are at the origins of it. We could have talked more about the movement in the mid 1900s that led to the founding of the NWTF, but our interviews revealed a longer–and older–story. We have to go back to the very beginning, to the traditions of the earliest conservationists, whose practices we borrow today. We welcome Mary Weakee, retired archeologist and turkey feather blanket expert, to explore the origins and significance of the bird for this country and the Indigenous people who loved it first.
Make no mistake, the Wild Turkey Conservation story matters for all of us, and in this final episode of the miniseries, we’ll tell you why. The Wild Turkey Conservation story is ultimately about mending gaps. Listening to others. Caring about others. We start with Wilderness icon Aldo Leopold and trace the trends of modern conservation efforts to his unique career in New Mexico, and connect this to the Wild Turkey Conservation movement in the 1950s and beyond. And then, we talk about Jaws, Barbara Kingsolver, and politics. Kind of.
Learn more about the miniseries and give feedback HERE.
ABOUT THE SHOW:
🦃 Niche to Meet You, Wild Turkey Conservation [SERIES TRAILER]
Episode 13
Friday, July 19, 2024 • Duration 04:17
Coming August 16th: a 4-part miniseries about the Wild Turkey Conservation niche. It’s an important story about belonging, community, mending seemingly irreparable gaps and changing the world.
Learn more about the show, read a transcript, and give feedback at Nichetomeetyou.show/wild-turkey
We all have our "third spaces," those social surroundings that aren't our homes or workplaces. These are the places where we feel a sense of belonging, comfort, and community—like cafés, bookstores, or even the local bar where everybody knows your name. But what happens when all three of your spaces are transient? When your work and home are constantly shifting, where do you find your third spaces, and what kinds of hobbies thrive in such a lifestyle?
In this episode, we explore the hobbies and niche subcultures that find their purpose in, or are affected by being on the road. From the stories of touring musicians Zach and Maggie White (who bring the flavors and experiences of their travels into their kitchen through regional cooking), to (a vagabond longswordsman and armored MMA combat fighter whose life revolves around historical reenactments and sword fighting), and from (middle school speed cuber) to (Relient K guitarist and creator of Cubiversity), we hear the unique dynamics of being on the road and being part of a niche subculture.
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
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