TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains references to eating disorders. Listener discretion is advised. Erin Holt wanted to fix herself. After years of battling eating disorders, she dreamt of learning how to diet better. So when she went to school for dietetics, she did so solely to help herself. Flash forward 20 years later, and now she's one of the foremost voices in the world of functional nutrition, helping thousands of people around the world every year to develop better relationships with ...
Jun 30, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Season 3Ep. 3
*This episode is presented by Blue Water Mortgage in Hampton, N.H. **We're also brought to you by Portsmouth Paddle Co. and Seavasana ! Get 15% off one all-levels SUP Yoga class AND 15% off a guided tour with code SUPSTORIES15. Book any class this summer before June 30 to take advantage of this special offer! In front of a SOLD-OUT live audience at The Word Barn in Exeter, N.H., it's the official kickoff of Season 3 of "Seacoast Stories!" In this episode, host Troy Farkas begins the show b...
Jun 26, 2025•2 hr 23 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Bill Blum knew something was wrong. They grew up adoring women's fashion. And in 2012, when they hiked the length of the Appalachian Trail (Georgia to Maine!!!), they wore a kilt the entire time. Still, it took a few more years for Bill to put the pieces together. And when they finally did, their entire life came crashing down. Today, Bill is the proud owner of Pride Toolbox, a handyperson's business which performs small home repairs in Portsmouth and beyond. As a nonbinary person, Bill is also ...
Jun 23, 2025•1 hr 6 min
The next "Seacoast Stories" LIVE PODCAST is THIS THURSDAY! It's at The Word Barn in Exeter, N.H., and it will feature conversations with Flight House Gym's Jay Collins , Live Freely's Alyssa Pine , and Cup of Joe's Joanna Kelley . Plus, we'll play Seacoast Trivia, hand out prizes from Loaded Question Brewing, Flamingos Coffee Bar, The Living Room, and more! WOKQ's Kira Lew and 3 Bridges Yoga's Stephanie Paolini will also make appearances onstage. To guar...
Jun 16, 2025•53 min
The next "Seacoast Stories" LIVE PODCAST is on June 19! It's at The Word Barn in Exeter, N.H., and it will feature conversations with Flight House Gym's Jay Collins , Live Freely's Alyssa Pine , and Cup of Joe's Joanna Kelley . Plus, we'll play Seacoast Trivia, hand out prizes from Loaded Question Brewing, Flamingos Coffee Bar, The Living Room, and more! To secure tickets, click here. ** As another Seacoast summer approaches, so too does the busy sea...
Jun 09, 2025•50 min
In the final episode of Season 2, past guest Alex Bynum takes the mic to interview host Troy Farkas ! From the West End of Portsmouth, the two discuss the 6/19 live podcast, why Troy became a yoga teacher this year, and what to expect in Season 3. Plus, Seacoast Rapid Fire -- which may or may not include a rant all of you can relate to. Then, in Part Two, Troy revisits five of the most powerful moments from the podcast so far this year, which includes snippets from Flight House Gym's Jay Collins...
Jun 02, 2025•1 hr 23 min
**The next "Seacoast Stories" LIVE PODCAST is on June 19! It's at The Word Barn in Exeter, N.H., and it will feature conversations with Flight House Gym's Jay Collins , Live Freely's Alyssa Pine , and Cup of Joe's Joanna Kelley . To secure tickets, click here. ** Cody Whelan was miserable. Feeling purposeless in his geology career, he came home after work every day tired, irritable, and wondering why he was still putting himself through this. He dreamt of a different life fo...
May 26, 2025•1 hr 10 min
The Leavitt Theatre almost ceased to exist. In the mid-2010s, after the Ogunquit-based silent film theatre found itself gasping for air in the midst of the home movie theater and streaming revolution, it nearly shuttered its doors. But then, after drawing upon the good faith created over the previous decades with the patrons of Ogunquit, the theatre raised an astounding $70,000 on Kickstarter in 2014 to breathe new life into the theatre. And then in 2017, when Max Clayton -- whose parents used t...
May 19, 2025•48 min
Food insecurity is only worsening in this country. And Gather , one of the longest running social programs in America, is dedicated to battling this growing problem on the Seacoast. With a mission to fight food insecurity with innovative solutions and in dignified ways, Gather is a FORCE when it comes to nonprofits on the Seacoast. In 2024 alone, Gather distributed 1.7 MILLION pounds of food. They served an average of nearly 11,000 people each month, a 25% increase from 2023, and provided 90,000...
May 12, 2025•59 min
Laura Fox thinks about her deathbed often. It's why she spends the majority of her time doing what she loves: Playing music, traveling, moving her body, and connecting with others, and it's why -- at Maine Fox Marketing -- she only works with clients who share her values. The secret weapon behind some of your favorite Seacoast brands (Vernon Family Farm, The Press Room, Soul Models, etc.), Laura creates websites and builds marketing strategies that bring more eyeballs to the businesses she's pas...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 13 min
**The next "Seacoast Stories" LIVE PODCAST is on June 19! It's at The Word Barn in Exeter, N.H., and it will feature conversations with Flight House Gym's Jay Collins, Live Freely's Alyssa Pine, and Cup of Joe's Joanna Kelley. For tickets, click here. The Seacoast as we know it today? It nearly never existed. That's because, in the 1970s, the world's then-richest man, Aristotle Onassis of Greece, wanted to build a $600M oil refinery in Durham, N.H. Its size and output (400,000 barrels per day) w...
Apr 28, 2025•54 min
**Seacoast Stories is celebrating last week's 50th episode with a Portsmouth West End Bar Crawl this Friday! Snag your FREE tickets today. In a special bonus episode, one of Troy's favorite people Miss New Hampshire Emily Spencer returns to the show! The two are also joined by 16-year-old Miss Inspiration winner Avery Byron, a little person (or dwarf) who hails from Londonderry, N.H. From the West End of Portsmouth, Miss New Hampshire Emily Spencer talks to host Troy Farkas about the high...
Apr 24, 2025•49 min
**Seacoast Stories is celebrating last week's 50th episode with a Portsmouth West End Bar Crawl this Friday! Snag your FREE tickets today. Tom Bath remembers his first sip of craft beer like it was yesterday. In the 1990s, the Pacific Northwest was at the epicenter of the craft beer explosion. And Tom, stationed in Seattle with the Navy at the time, soon fell in love with not only the beverage, but the culture surrounding it. So after years of home brewing experimentation, 17 years of working...
Apr 21, 2025•53 min
**Seacoast Stories is celebrating today's 50th episode with a Portsmouth West End Bar Crawl on 4/25! Watch here for more details and snag your FREE tickets today. Book 'N Bar, Ten Thousand Villages, Life Is Good, Colby's, Earth Eagle Brewing, Litherman's Brewing, Stroll Cafe. The last year in Portsmouth has been a business bloodbath. Why are so many beloved downtown Portsmouth businesses closing their doors, and what can be done to give our businesses a better chance of survival moving forward? ...
Apr 14, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Max Pruna had never tasted specialty coffee. But one day at Northeastern University in the mid 2010s, craft coffee pioneer George Howell poured Max the cup of coffee that would change his life. Inspired by this one sip, Max then dedicated his life to learning everything about craft coffee, eventually leading him to open La Mulita Coffee in Rye, N.H., now one of the most beloved shops on the Seacoast. From La Mulita, Colombian native Max Pruna joins host Troy Farkas to discuss growing up in C...
Apr 07, 2025•1 hr 9 min
Gabbie Kelly ran away from her home in Auburn, N.H. In her 17-year-old mind, it was the only way she could begin to create the fiercely independent life and career she sought for herself. She wanted a fancy title in accounting, and then a husband, house, and a baby ... all before the age of 30. And she got all of that and then some. Today, at 35 years old, Gabbie Kelly is "The Profit Mama." No longer working 50 hours per week in accounting and auditing at important firms in Boston, Manchester, o...
Mar 31, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Alyssa Pine felt like a fraud. While running the first Live Freely Fest at Smuttynose Brewing last fall, Alyssa was quietly closing her own shop, a storefront in Hampton where she sold her Live Freely merchandise. But after seeing the success of the market, one of the most boomin' business days in Smuttynose history, Alyssa had accidentally stumbled upon her next project: The Live Freely Market. The Market, which has quickly garnered the attention of the Seacoast masses, is an indoor retail coll...
Mar 24, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Ashley Ryall wanted to get the f*ck out. A native of the small town of Weare, N.H., she dreamt of escaping small-town life as soon as possible. When college in Connecticut offered that opportunity, she took it and ran with it. And after studying abroad in Australia, an experience that completely opened up her worldview, Ashley vowed to live a life of adventure from that point forward. Except it didn't pan out that way. From the Portsmouth Public Library, Ashley Ryall joins host Troy Farkas to ...
Mar 17, 2025•50 min
Alexis Morton wanted to get together with other women on the Seacoast. However, as a stay-at-home mom during the pandemic, she couldn't find any groups of women who wanted to partake in fun Seacoast activities. So she started that group herself: Well Lived Women, a Seacoast-based women's group that's attracted nearly 1500 attendees since 2022. In this group, women of all demographics gather at various Seacoast businesses to support local, have fun, and most importantly, realize how powerful a ro...
Mar 10, 2025•58 min
Kira Lew wanted out of radio. After working in an environment that didn't bring out the best in her, she considered leaving the industry she had fallen in love with a few years prior. But she decided to stick it out. And then everything started falling into place. A few years later, Kira made history by becoming the first female morning show lead in the 54-year history of WOKQ, the Seacoast's No. 1 country music station. Alongside Logan Sherwood, she co-hosts " Kira and Logan in the Morning ," a...
Mar 03, 2025•59 min
Will Myska always wanted to be an executive chef. But with three kids at home, he doubted whether he'd have the ability to go all in on the restaurant of his dreams. So instead, he stayed the course, choosing to work and learn under some of the top chefs on the Seacoast perhaps longer than he needed to. Until one day, chef David Vargas (Vida Cantina) sat Will down and asked him, "What's next for you?" And that was the day everything changed for Will. From Ore Nell's Barbecue in Kittery, M.E., h...
Feb 24, 2025•58 min
Ankati Day gave up the blueprint. After years spent searching for her purpose in the deep woods of The White Mountains, the open fields of Missoula, Mont., and the jungles of Costa Rica, the now-yoga teacher eventually returned home to Maine with the realization that the linear path society bred her to take was simply not for her. From Shiloh Farm in Eliot, Maine, host Troy Farkas sits down with Ankati to candidly discuss her many lives, and how the road led her to become a spiritual force in t...
Feb 17, 2025•1 hr 13 min
In this special Valentine's Day bonus video episode, host Troy Farkas welcomes Dover's own Kelly Anderson of the "Significant Lovers" podcast to talk all things love, dating, breakups, relationships, and of course, Seacoast coffee shops. From the cozy confines of the Portsmouth Public Library, the two discuss: Seacoast networking (00:00) Why we LOVE love (02:40) Why breakups suck (07:24) Dating red flags (12:10) Keys to successful relationships (17:00) Favorite famous couples (22:30) Top Seacoas...
Feb 14, 2025•36 min
Nissa Bagelman grew up in the book business. In fact, she spent many childhood days at a popular indie bookstore, Reedmor Books, in Center City Philadelphia in the early 90s. It was the family business. Her great grandfather opened Reedmor in 1928, and he passed it down to generations of Bagelmans. But when buying books online became commonplace, the Reedmor business suffered. In the early 2000s, the Bagelmans made the difficult decision to close down their stores. Now, 20+ years later, Reedmor ...
Feb 10, 2025•56 min
Paige Lindsey is ... a lot. (Those are her words.) The 34-year-old, who has nearly 18,000 Instagram followers, is a self-described member of Gen Z trapped in a millennial body. She's full of energy, feels deeply, loves intensely, and is unlike anyone you've ever met before. And on today's episode, the Exeter-based artist tells host Troy Farkas about the rollercoaster that's led her to become one of the most popular artists on the Seacoast. The two discuss the many obstacles placed in Paige's way...
Feb 03, 2025•58 min
Jay Collins left his house every morning at 2:45 to get to work. In his eyes, that's what obsessed people do. And it's that grit and dedication which led him to create MaxEdge Fitness, a beloved Seacoast gym that lasted 11 years before the pandemic wiped it away. Then, standing in the ruins of the business he and his family poured everything into, Jay emerged from the pandemic with a vision. A vision that was bigger and better than anything he'd ever done before: Flight House Gym , a one-of-a-ki...
Jan 27, 2025•54 min
Mackenzie Logan vowed to never open a restaurant. A veteran of the hospitality industry, she understood the extremely taxing nature of the business. She knew she wanted to run her own business one day, but she promised she'd wait until the Universe presented her with the right opportunity at the right time. That opportunity came during the throes of the pandemic, when Mackenzie finally found the business idea she'd been searching for all along: Flamingos Coffee Bar. On today's episode, the popul...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Evan Hennessey wanted to come back home. After working in some of the most famous fine dining restaurants in New York City and Chicago, the Dover native felt the Seacoast pleading with him to return to the place that raised him. And when he returned in 2012, he opened a restaurant unlike anything Dover had ever seen before. Stages , located at One Washington in downtown Dover, offers a progressive tasting menu experience that showcases the bounty of ingredients native to New Hampshire through gl...
Jan 13, 2025•54 min
In front of a SOLD OUT crowd at The Press Room in downtown Portsmouth, it's the first episode of Season 2, and the first podcast in the history of one of Portsmouth's most beloved locations. In this very special episode, host Troy Farkas opens the show by speaking to past guests Rae and Ryan Lambert about the Seacoast dance community, people's intense desire to connect with one another, trying to contact MrBeast, and more. Then, in the first edition of Seacoast Trivia hosted by past guest Alex B...
Jan 13, 2025•2 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 1
*UPDATE* If you don't have your ticket yet for Thursday's LIVE podcast at The Press Room, please arrive at 6 p.m. when the doors open to try to get a standing room-only spot. For the first 20+ years of her life, soccer was all that Katy Marshall knew. It was her entire identity. But when reality set in that she wouldn't play professionally, panic ensued. What was her purpose without sports, and where should she go to find it? Over the next few years, Katy asked herself these questions as she lef...
Jan 06, 2025•52 min
