Immigrant parents planted the Limentato roots in Illinois, growing the branches of Sam into the Champaign family. Currently, Judge Sam Limentato has found himself working tirelessly over the past months to retain his position as Circuit Judge in Champaign County. Listen to why Sam found it difficult to label himself as one political party over the other since he's in a position of inherent neutrality, why the need to serve others caused him to take a leap away from his law firm and into the unce...
Nov 08, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 34
These welcome transplants under Bielema's reign are no strangers to packing up and heading to a new town with little (or no) notice. For the love of the game and their husbands, these independent women move themselves and their kids to a new city, new home and new school ultimately creating new loyalties and allegiances. Listen at how these women transport their families across country, how their kids handle the many, many moves, how the family handles losing, living in a house sight unseen, nev...
Nov 01, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 33
After circling Danville and Indiana in his younger years, Nathan laid strong roots with wife and teammate, Julie Gunn, in Central Champaign raising five kids while traveling the world as a baritone operatic performer. The duo met on their first days at the University of Illinois in the program they now run together, the Lyric Theater @ Illinois. Listen as the man behind this rich voice describes singing at the MET, how the pandemic changed his lifestyle for the better, how being hidden by corn a...
Oct 25, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Mahomet mother-daughter duo may now live states apart but their love is so palpable in this episode as they describe the sharp and severe health decline of a young, healthy woman with her whole life in front of her. Listen as the women behind the popular area hobby breeder enterprise-Snow Angel Retrievers-discuss why Gina couldn't trust Taylor to carry a glass of milk, how Gina ceremoniously cut Taylor's hair off as she was rapidly losing it during treatment, Taylor meeting her now husband sans ...
Oct 18, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 31
An Urbana farmer’s daughter turned Villa Grove farmer’s wife and my BFF, talks about her transition from city girl to queen of the cornfields as her married status uprooted her to a life with prettier views and different priorities. Listen as Erin and I talk about making new friends and keeping the old, quality over quantity, unreciprocated friendships, pushing each other to be better, picking up with old and true friends right where you left off, FOMO, friendship jealousy, putting yourself in n...
Oct 11, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Former Champaign resident and podcast guest, Griffin Mulcahey takes the back seat as his wife and my friend, Bre, takes center stage in their makeshift, Austin studio during a recent trip to visit this Midwest-turned-Texan couple. The visit was in response to a call for help when the couple was overwhelmed with healing and emotions and exhaustion. Listen as Bre relives the life changing call from her doctor during a mushroom microdose session, saying goodbye to her baby and toddler before underg...
Oct 04, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Champaign townie shares her secrets to social media: the good, the bad and the viral. This branding and marketing professional uses her education and field experience to curate and spread beauty-one post at a time. Listen as Grace explains why her day job is the least interesting thing about her, inauthentic vs. authentic content, her self-taught side hustle for lucky brides, wacky algorithms, how to take the best picture and why social media should be viewed as a fun tool and not a recipe for F...
Sep 27, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Champaign townie, sadly now a Minnesotan, and one of my oldest friends shares feelings on a subject that he is often reluctant to talk about–the loss of his dad, Paul Senior, and his slow battle with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Listen as Dan emotionally recalls his dad as his number one coach, the first Christmas where a tradition was regretfully forgot, losing him at an Illini game and saying goodbye over and over. Dan has become an incredible dad of four because of the lessons he gleaned from his...
Sep 20, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Urbana-born twenty something shares a story of falling head over heels for a little redheaded firecracker, managing his abandonment issues, figuring out how to balance a job while becoming a single mom overnight and thoughts on dating at this stage in her life. Listen as Mahala explains how a weekend babysitting stint never ended, how her experience growing up in a loving family prepared her for a toddler, what it was like when she was called mom for the first time, what she ultimately wants for...
Sep 13, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 26
My loves-the-spotlight husband and podcast super fan, Andrew Harrington, and I talk in detail about excessive bathroom lines at a Yankees game, uncontrollable sweating, the event that inspired my brother-in-law's speech at our wedding and grounds for getting fired from our first jobs. Listen as two townies swap stories of treading water down Mattis Avenue, ultra-moist public speaking, bathroom negotiations and making it on Jay Leno for all the wrong reasons. Turn up for some skin crawling embarr...
Sep 06, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Champaign townie turned Mahomet resident and Monticello teacher tells the story on behalf of her husband, Cameron Crouch, of young love, loyalty and the sacrifices her and her future husband endured for the love of each other and the love of the country. Listen as Christy explains how as a teenager she sent her boyfriend off to war on July 4th in a post-September 11th world. After a year in Iraq, Cam was injured in a way that would change the quality of his life forever, but not their future as ...
Aug 30, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 24
St. Louis transplant, Illiniboard.com creator and host of the podcast We Love No Other talks Illini obsessions in preparation for the 2022 football season. Listen as Robert Rosenthal explains how he retired from his landscape architecture job in pursuit of his love and loyalty for all things Illini (right before the pandemic shut down college sports.) Robert schools me on why my husband's white knuckling through games is actually a healthy outlet for emotions, why losses hurt more than wins feel...
Aug 23, 2022•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 23
Bible belt transplant and coach's wife plays by her own rules as principal of St. Matthew Catholic School in Champaign. Listen as Michelle Biggs explains how her plans to be a stay-at-home mom were derailed when her daughters' new school needed her to take on a position only her pumps could fill. Mrs. Biggs reflects on the last two emotional and exhausting years for herself, her staff, her own kids and her students. With an end presumably here, Mrs. Biggs predicts this school year is going to be...
Aug 16, 2022•55 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Townie dreamcatcher and flourishing florist speaks candidly about her West Coast divorce. Listen as her story seemingly ends with a complex entanglement between a frenemy, husband and the future father of her two sons. With sunshine, blooms and new friends, Andrea slowly rewrites the future focusing on the main character this time around. In take THREE of this podcast, Andrea explains how she went from literally shoveling **** to coming up roses. Are you looking for a first-person testimony of y...
Aug 09, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Champaign County lifelong resident, Mayor of Savoy and retired University of Illinois lieutenant talks about the pendulum swinging back in favor of local police. Listen as John discusses three cases that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. **Trigger warning** one of the cases involves an infant death. He also gives insight into the rumors behind police quotas, how to get out of a ticket and if there's really a 5 MPH buffer on speeding. John is an open book willing to bust misco...
Aug 02, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Champaign townie discusses her tumultuous upbringing with five brothers and two parents: one that neglected and one that abused. Listen as Amariah discusses the slap heard round-the-world, foster care, the grandparents that saved her, why her unstable beginning doesn't define her present, her self-admitted overprotective grasp on her two boys, her book deal and her commitment and passion for social services. You may need a cry and a nap after this episode featuring one resilient, strong, boundar...
Jul 26, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Chicago suburbanite, turned Champaign sweetheart, now Austin weirdo talks about abandoning the security of his post-college corporate gig to navigate telehealth and tech. Listen as Griffin discusses spinning his wheels while trying different start ups, losing a year of sleep and moonlighting to make ends meet, never giving up the hope and dream of one day hitting the mark. And, finally, working tirelessly to create a "unicorn" business valued at more than one billion dollars and retiring at age ...
Jul 19, 2022•56 min•Season 1Ep. 18
The tables have been turned. It's my turn to share as many others have in the weeks prior. My story. My problem. My secret. My issues. As with all the episodes, the hope is that the content makes others atypical feel typical, their abnormal feel normal, their quirks and idiosyncrasies a part of what makes them uniquely them-their superpower. Listen as reoccurring guest Andrew Harrington interviews his townie wife and podcast host on her day-to-day internal struggles. Learn how anxiety manifested...
Jul 12, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Cameron Williams aka Barry White, a college friend and once townie, calls in from the hills of Tennessee by way of New York by way of Los Angeles, to explain how my former formal date went from a straight, single make to a married, gay father of five since the last time we spoke. Listen as this dancing king talks about coming out of the closet, being outed before he was ready, being an actor and now voice actor in both NY and LA and finding love and a ready made family with a man who not only ha...
Jul 05, 2022•31 min•Season 1Ep. 16
I reached out. She graciously answered. Amber Oberheim, wife of the tragically slain Police Officer Chris Oberheim, rehashes the details of her husband's death-one year later. Amber talks openly and honestly about life before May 19, 2021, the details of the domestic disturbance that Chris responded to, the early morning knock on the door, writing eulogies and why she won't listen to any 911 calls or video from that night. Listen as this empowered advocate explains how and why she has taken the ...
Jun 28, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 15
My expat neighbors talk about reclaiming land from Phill's family village in Greece, souls being lost in purgatory and surviving a political coup at seven days old. Listen as these Australian/Greek transplants to C-U talk about transhumance lifestyles, pandemic pressures and the importance of art and photography in their wanderlust lives. Download to find out how this creative couple's love story was founded in grit and commitment and why the conversation with these intellectuals left me feeling...
Jun 21, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 14
My old and dear friend from a past life explains her rock bottom return to her hometown, why she started therapy and medication at a young age, her recent medical epiphany and why she is no longer on any Rx. Listen as townie friends discuss triple threat diagnoses, the "everyone hates me syndrome," the art of being a chameleon and why her husband is a saint. Download to find out how this creative soul's constant passion for art has never wavered-only changed its palette. Are you looking for a fi...
Jun 14, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 13
This household name amongst area parents describes the TWO times he got thrown up on in the pool, parents battling in the bleachers and navigating the uncharted waters of transgender athletes in competitive swimming. Listen as this townie, former water polo player and current amateur drummer outlines his no nonsense coaching philosophy, why learning to swim should be considered a necessary life skill and why one bad apple can spoil the bunch in a team environment. Download to find out why Will h...
Jun 07, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 12
This Hunny Bunny boss babe relives the details of watching her first born hear sounds clearly for the first time after surgery. Listen as Mary English Enright (Ratcliffe), Champaign native turned Chicken Bristle baddie, shares her side-by-side ride with son Hank as they navigate interventions in order to hear his sister's laughter and parent's praises. Download to find out why Mary lives for CAOS, why a search party was called at school and why she will always trust her mother's intuition. Are y...
May 31, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 11
My back-by-popular demand mic hog, husband and BFF4L, Andrew Harrington, and I talk in detail about contributing to minors (allegedly), bailing my dad out of jail and the bust that made the Sunday newspaper and grounded me indefinitely. Listen as two townies swap stories of fence jumping, house alarms, running from the authorities and the one party that will live in infamy. If you are missing a cooler, DM me. It's still at my parent's house. Are you looking for a first-person testimony of your b...
May 24, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 10
My new and reluctant best friend, Illinois State Senator and local attorney, Mr. Chapin Rose, tells me that I'm normal for not "picking a side" in politics but why it's not OK to flip a coin in the voting booth. Listen as Mahomet's very own Chapin Rose explains the three things that should matter to everyone regardless of political stance , what his REAL first name is, why he shovels snow in shorts and why not to focus so much on the presidency but more on who fills the political seats at the lo...
May 17, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 9
My much younger mom friend talks about watching the slow burn of her father's diagnosis with early-onset Alzheimer's. Listen as Katy, Champaign born and raised, describes the moment they found out what their patriarch's inevitable decline would look like. The oldest of three looks back on their family's decade-long experience with watching their dad mentally age in reverse, the pain of not being able to see him during the pandemic and how she will forever remember him. Download to find out why t...
May 10, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 8
My couple friends talk about their struggles to conceive, reproductive testing, infertility treatments and mounting medical bills. Listen as Mike, Champaign native, and Jordan (Oakes), Tolono honey, simultaneously share laughs and tears over this heartbreaking topic. Download to find out why we are all crying, why fluorescent lighting isn't sexy, why Mike gives shots to citrus fruits and why there is no budget when it comes to getting a baby in the baby carriage. Are you looking for a first-pers...
May 02, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 7
My more-than-just-a hair stylist talks about her son's seemingly unbreakable struggle with heroin, his recent hospitalization, the three paths ahead and why she worries every time the phone rings. Listen as Urbana mom to a Brady Bunch-sized brood talks about why she will provide her son endless opportunities to get sober. Tune in to find out why our third guest never made it to the interview, but why he will always be invited back to the table. Are you looking for a first-person testimony of you...
Apr 26, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 6
My once bridesmaid talks about the strain of having a business and two babies in quick succession, the implications of stress on a marriage, becoming a single parent, co-parenting and finally inviting your husband back in your heart. Listen as townie best friends have a tough and honest chat about how love can hurt. This episode was a hard one for both husband and wife to confront. Thank you to both for letting the toothpaste out of the tube, so to speak. Listen up to find out why we will never ...
Apr 19, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 5
