Seacoast Stories

Flight House Fitness is on a mission to revolutionize the fitness industry.

And Jay Collins will not stop until that vision has come to life.

Formerly the owner of MaxEdge Fitness, the 59-year-old Collins bet the house (literally) a few years ago when he built Flight House Gym in Rye, a massive facility combining group training classes and open gym space in ways the Seacoast had never seen before.

Then, just three months ago, he launc...

Ogunquit has become a "three-season" town in recent years.

The Front Porch is a big reason why.

Started in 1980 exclusively as a gay men's bar, The Front Porch has become an all-inclusive restaurant, piano bar, and attraction for the half a million people who descend upon the tiny seaside town every summer.

From the famous upstairs bar, longtime bartender Petey Tomes and current owner Scotty Vogel join host Troy Farkas for a wide-rang...

Local media has a bad reputation these days.

Nora Happny McMorran wants to do something about it.

The beloved former host of "Just Ask Nora," a social media series started in the late 2010s, Happny McMorran is now on a quest to turn Portsmouth City Lifestyle magazine into a local force for storytelling.

A few months after acquiring the magazine, the longtime Portsmouth resident joins host Troy Farkas to discuss her decision, and how ...

We don't know how to talk about death.

Longtime Seacoast resident Laura Cleminson wants to change that.

At the Pre-Dead Social Club, Seacoast residents of all ages gather monthly for a "die-a-logue" at author talks, panel discussions, and Death Over Drinks, the club's signature event.

Cleminson, who also delivered a TEDx Portsmouth talk in 2024, became fascinated with death a decade ago when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. She n...

Two stories in one podcast?!

In this special Labor Day episode, host Troy Farkas hears the stories of two beloved Seacoast businesses.

In Part One, Farkas travels to Somerworth, N.H. for a conversation with the co-founders of Popzup Popcorn, Marty and Julie Lapham. From their factory's floor, the husband-and-wife team talk about how they got started 10 years ago, the painstaking lengths they've taken to get organic & non-GMO labe...

A cowboy in York, Maine? 🤠

Yes, it's true.

For nearly two decades, Kenny Churchill was one of the very best bull riders in the world, competing on stages big and small across the country, including at Madison Square Garden in front of President Ronald Reagan.

Now, the Boston native resides in York alongside his wife of 30+ years. Together, they own Churchill Barn and Weddings, a stunning events venue located on their private property...

Mario LaPosta had a dream (literally).

Following a nightmare about a kitchen incident, paired with his deep Italian roots and love of family meals at a long dinner table, LaPosta knew a future in the kitchen awaited him.

Eventually, the Connecticut native moved to Italy so he could learn the ins and outs of the Neapolitan pizza-making process. Then, after returning to the States, he started running the pizza programs at a chain of r...

The future of New Hampshire is at stake.

Luckily, brilliant young minds are on the case for building a better New Hampshire.

In a rare roundtable discussion, popular past guests Corinne Benfield (Stay Work Play) and Andrew Samonas (Samonas Realty) join host Troy Farkas to discuss a number of topics, including the recent Portsmouth parking controversy and its effect on the local workforce, why a shortage of affordable childcare is cau...

Lauren Atwood entered the world against all odds.

Thirty-three years ago, the lifelong Seacoast native was born three months early as the product of an abusive relationship between her mother and biological father.

In the ensuing years, Atwood bounced around from home to home, watched her mother bring home man after man, and became estranged from her real father, all while trying to live a normal life.

But Atwood refused to become a ...

She built a global fitness brand without investors, business degree, or plans for becoming an entrepreneur.

When Eliza Shirazi graduated from UMass, she thought she'd spend her career working in public health. Fitness classes were simply a side hustle—a way to make a little extra money after work.

Over the next decade, that side hustle became Kick It by Eliza, a kickboxing-inspired worldwide fitness community that has transform...

How does a tiny, hidden cocktail bar with no sign, no advertising, and (almost) no rules become one of the most beloved institutions in a city's history?

Cresta Smith, the co-founder of the legendary bar The Red Door, joins host Troy Farkas this week to discuss the iconic Portsmouth speakeasy that shaped an entire generation of nightlife (and espresso martini lovers) on the Seacoast.

From opening night in 2003 to her departure in 201...

Laura Fox needed a change.

Late last year, at our 3S Artspace live podcast, the Foxglove lead singer and Maine Fox Marketing founder announced that she'd booked a one-way trip to Mexico, with no plans for anything besides returning just in time to record her first in-studio album in May.

Seven months later, in another edition of "The Follow-Up" where we speak to popular past guests, Fox joins host Troy Farkas to reveal what she lear...

Dr. Mychal Beebee is one of the most decorated chiropractors in the industry, and patients from all over the country flock to Portsmouth's Arete Chiropractic to seek treatment from her and her team on upper cervical issues.

Among her many accolades, Dr. Beebee currently serves as the Vice President of the Council on Upper Cervical Care (CUCC). She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Blair Upper Cervical Society as the dire...

Chad Coll just wanted to be an artist.

A lax bro from Maryland without any dreams beyond that, Coll moved to the Seacoast in 2009 after joining the Coast Guard.

From there, he fell in love with the area, and when his Coast Guard stint ended, he pursued a variety of jobs and hobbies that all involved making things with his hands, including making wooden spoons.

Despite making these spoons for 10 years, he only started selling his wood...

***TRIGGER WARNING*** This podcast contains discussion of suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

It's a miracle that Victoria Arlen is still here.

Before the age of 10, she entered into a vegetative state after getting diagnosed with two rare neurodegenerative diseases. From there, the Exeter, N.H. native lived incapacitated for four years, with doctors and nurses instructing Arlen's parents to accept that their daughter wouldn't l...

The Ogunquit Playhouse is not just some theater on the side of the road in Ogunquit, Maine.

Every summer for the last 93 years, this "little white box" in one of New England's most eclectic cultural hubs has played home to world premieres of global theatrical sensations, many of which later make their way to the stages of Broadway and London's famed West End. The actors and actresses whom Ogunquit attracts have shelves filled with T...

The world is burning down.

At least, that's what the modern media landscape convinces you into thinking.

But what if there were a different way to present the news? What if, instead of focusing on all the negative, we actually celebrated the thousands of milestones and mini-victories happening each and every day?

Andy DeMeo asked himself that question two years ago. Then, he founded Granite Goodness - a podcast, newsletter, social me...

Cure is a top-rated restaurant serving upscale comfort food in downtown Portmsouth, N.H., and now the visionary behind one of the Seacoast's most beloved establishments is setting her sights on something even bigger and better.

Julie Cutting-Kelley is the owner and executive chef at Cure. A lifelong Seacoast native, she's also the co-owner of Emerald Elevation (a chef-inspired cannabis company), mother of two, Lighthouse Credit Unio...

Host Troy Farkas quickly takes you inside the past, present, and future of the 21st century media organization that's taking over New Hampshire and Maine.

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