Northeast Tell-Talks

Jelissa Lamboy is the founder of The Sugar Connection, a pop-up cake decorating experience in the Boston area, but serving all of New England. 

The Sugar Connection began in 2021 after a decision to pivot and start something fun in new after the 2020 year and all the changes in many industries, including her own.

Jelissa has been baking since she was young and has worked in the culinary industry for most of her life. Her business als...

Angela Stone is the Founder and Executive Director of Maine Needs, a community fueled donation center based out of Portland, Maine and serving all 16 counties.

Her background and previous career in Chicago was interior design. During the summer of 2018 and a move back to Maine, those who were being separated at the border for seeking legal asylum sparked something in Angela and led her to completely pivot from the design world, int...

Lil Sickles is the owner of Standing Stone Wines in Winooski Vermont, named for her indigenous heritage, the People of the Standing Stone. It is a place that is a haven for the local community to enjoy affordable and organic or natural wines, a wide variety of music nights and events, or just to come and hang out. 

Lil has over 25 years of experience in the wine and hospitality industry, and has been a musician all her life. Now she...

Irene Shiang Li (she/her) co-founded Mei Mei in Boston in 2013 and built the brand around sustainable sourcing and fair and transparent employment practices, including open book management. 

Mei Mei is now a dumpling company and Irene’s focus is on building Prepshift, a tech-enabled coaching and workforce training firm that works directly with restaurants, and partners with government and private entities to ensure a bright future f...

Kristine Steinberg is the founder and eco of Kismet Consulting

Bringing 23 years of combined professional coaching and business experience to help build and sustain strong executives, business teams, and successful organizations. She has worked with companies such as Harvard, LinkedIn, IBM, TED, Adidas, and more, helping them lead with authenticity, imagination, empathy, presence, and courage.

Her behavioral coaching approach dives...

Timna Nwokeji is the Founder & CEO of Life as a Maven, LLC., a Latina owned, digital content creation business focused on small businesses.

Life as a Maven, LLC started as a way to share local food and travel experiences with locals and it grew into so much more! Between her travels to different parts of the world and her growing following in the Greater Merrimack Valley & Boston, Timna continues to share curated experiences...

If you live on the seacoast of New Hampshire, you may have heard of Vernon Family Farm.

They are a farm I have worked with and shopped at for several years. In our community, a farm like this is really important. Shopping at the farm store supports over 50 other local businesses and farms, as well as supports the pasture raised and grown products right on the property.

There are also a variety of agritourism events including, music...

Welcome to a special podcast interview!

As you may have heard on previous episodes, Wing and a Prayer Farm is our season sponsor, and I was excited to interview my friend Tammy White who is the owner and farmer.

Tammy and I first met when I photographed and wrote about her farm for our Tell New England Issue themed: Mornings, Where I spent a morning documenting farm life and chores, and was even lucky enough to witness a few lambs ...

Quontay Turner also known as "Q", is a multi-talented creative and entrepreneur from Mattapan and the owner of Emerald City Plant Shop, New England’s first Black Owned plant shop and community space.

She has over ten years of experience in community organizing, event management, recruiting, and facilitating conversations and trainings around diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

From admissions recruitment, to becoming a bake...

Victoria Carrington Chávez is a TEDx speaker, award-winning entrepreneur, and the creative force behind Lilac and Aspen, a storytelling studio. With over a decade of experience in digital marketing and storytelling, she helps creative entrepreneurs and thought leaders turn story into content gold.  

In 2024, she traveled 35,000+ miles as an international content creator .  Her creative thought leadership has been featured on num...

Chloe Barcelou and Brandon Batchelder, partners in both life and business, began collaborating in 2012 when Chloe enlisted Brandon’s help in building props for her photoshoots.

Their shared talents quickly lead them into the film and photo industry, where they have since built up a portfolio of production design, set building, wardrobe styling, and prop creation for films and editorial projects.

Notably, they both live in an up-cyc...

Harmony Edosomwan is the founder of Harmony’s Kitchen, Vermont’s first Afrofusion soul food catering company.

Harmony is a Bronx native and University of Vermont graduate who has called Vermont home for eight years.

As Miss Chittenden County, she fosters connection and joy through soul food. From hosting cooking classes to catering events, her passion for excellence and community shines.

Edosomwan dreams of scaling Harmony’s Kitche...

Hannah Gagnon is the owner and founder of The Patchhunter. The Patchhunter began as Hannah’s personal passion for collecting vintage patches across New England in 2016.

As her collection grew, she started customizing jackets, quickly gaining attention and requests from friends and beyond. Inspired by vintage typography and the joy of creating unique designs, she transformed her hobby into a business.

The Patchhunter now specializes...

Cassouki Chouramanis is a New Hampshire native and the visionary behind The Conscious Cabin, a restorative cabin retreat in the heart of the White Mountains.

The Conscious Cabin offers transformative retreats and rejuvenating getaways.

Through her work, Cassouki calls you back to the primal wisdom of nature—to unravel, to remember, and to reclaim your most empowered self. In this space, you are seen, held, and accepted by both comm...

Andy DeMeo is the creator and host of Granite Goodness, a podcast and newsletter focused on optimism and problem solving in and around New Hampshire.

His hometown is Londonderry (class of 2013), but he has also lived in Manchester, Bedford, Durham, Newmarket, Meredith, Keene, Dover, Portsmouth, and Rollinsford.

Today Andy lives in the Mt. Washington Valley on a farm his wife Jess, a little poodle named Rooster, and a big poodle nam...

Dawn Aurora Hunt is the owner and CEO of Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery out of Derry, New Hampshire.

She has been teaching and writing on the topics of Kitchen Witchery & Spiritual Nutrition since 2010.

After needing to adopt a gluten free diet and lifestyle she started her own company making gourmet foods with simple ingredients and the power of intension.

Not only is she the host of popular podcast, Conversational Witchcraft,...

Kristina Zontini is the founder of Super Secret Ice Cream, a beloved neighborhood ice cream shop known for its scratch-made flavors and commitment to supporting the local food system.

Recently recognized multiple times by the James Beard Foundation and Best of New Hampshire, Kristina’s shop not only serves exceptional ice cream but also fosters a workplace dedicated to creating happy and sustainable jobs for her community.

Together ...

​Jezmina Von Thiele (they/she) is the co-author of Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling with Paulina Stevens, and a fortune-teller in their mixed Sinti Romani tradition​, based in Portsmouth, NH as a resident reader at Deadwick's Ethereal Emporium.

Jezmina deals ​in tarot, palms, and tea leaves, and teaches workshops on divination, spiritual wellness, and the creative arts​ in-person and online (visit jezminavonthiele.com). ​

T​hey oft...

Welcome to season 2! We are back with more talented & wonderful guests to share their stories and journeys with you. I hope you enjoy!

On this episode we chat with Kelsy Stromski, founder and creative director of Favor The Brave Co. out of Newbury, MA. In 2014, she traded the 9-to-5 for a life of fearless creativity — founding her own design studio and never looking back. Since then, she’s lived on an island, received a tat...