Twin City Tales Podcast

What does it mean to spend your life telling stories that help others feel seen, heard, and connected? On this episode of the Twin City Tales Podcast, host Wymond Wong sits down with Austene Van, award-winning actor, director, choreographer, and Executive Artistic Director of Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo, Minnesota. Austene's journey into the performing arts began long before she became an artisti...

What happens when you spend years preparing for your dream career, finally get the opportunity you were working toward, and decide to create your own path instead? On this episode of Twin City Tales , Wymond Wong sits down with James Adams, better known as Wilder Adams , creator and host of the Wilder Wolves Podcast . Wilder grew up in North Oaks, Minnesota, graduated from Mounds View High School,...

What does it really mean to be prepared? On this episode of Twin City Tales , Wymond Wong sits down with Brent Fox , founder of Fox Defensive Training , to talk about the experiences that shaped his approach to self-defense, awareness, leadership, and life. Brent grew up in small-town Minnesota before joining the Navy shortly after high school. What began as a decision made by a young man from Min...

What happens when you discover something later in life and realize you've been looking at it the wrong way all along? On this episode of the Twin City Tales Podcast, Wymond Wong sits down with Thomas Jackson, co-founder of PAR365 Golf in Roseville, Minnesota , to talk about entrepreneurship, family, golf, and the unexpected experiences that can completely change the direction of your life. Thomas...

Sometimes the career you end up building starts with a problem you never planned on having to solve. On this episode of the Twin City Tales Podcast, Wymond Wong sits down with Beth Riegger, founder of Fairy Godmother of Tech , to talk about entrepreneurship, reinvention, websites, networking, technology, artificial intelligence, and everything she learned while building a business of her own. Beth...

What happens after the cameras stop rolling? On this episode of the Twin City Tales Podcast, Wymond Wong sits down with McCrae Olson , the Minnesota native Big Brother fans came to know as the “Pizza Boy” from Season 15. Long before Big Brother, McCrae was already fascinated by cameras and storytelling. Growing up around St. Francis and Oak Grove, Minnesota, he developed a love for filmmaking, stu...

Shannon Starry of Four Point Construction joins host Wymond Wong on the Twin City Tales Podcast for a conversation about career evolution, leadership, relationships, business operations, and the experiences that shape how we serve others. Shannon’s professional journey has crossed several industries, including banking and financial services, accounting, real estate, business operations, management...

In this episode of Twin City Tales, host Wymond Wong sits down with CJ and Katy Norman, the husband-and-wife Realtor team behind Norman Homes at Pemberton RE, for a conversation about real estate, investing, entrepreneurship, marriage, and building a business together in Minnesota. CJ and Katy are based in Mound, Minnesota, and work throughout the Lake Minnetonka area, the western suburbs of Minne...

Royal Supply owner Missy Wilson joins Wymond Wong to share how she went from juvenile corrections and disability services into an industry she knew almost nothing about, bought into a business during COVID, navigated a difficult family-business split, learned to repair commercial cleaning equipment herself, and rebuilt Royal Supply from the ground up. On this episode of Twin City Tales , host Wymo...

This episode of Twin City Tales is dedicated to the memory of legendary University of Minnesota baseball coach John Anderson. Host Wymond Wong sits down with longtime friend and fellow Hopkins High School graduate Tim McIntosh for a conversation that spans Minnesota baseball, Major League Baseball, friendship, mentorship, career transitions, and the next chapter after professional sports. Tim’s ba...

Minnesota Broker/Realtor Becky Connors joins host Wymond Wong on the Twin City Tales Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about building wealth, building a career, and what it truly takes to guide people through one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives. Becky shares stories from her upbringing and the unexpected career path that eventually led her into real estate. She discusses at...

On this episode of Twin City Tales, host Wymond Wong sits down with Minnesota entrepreneur, speaker, and Sandoval Services LLC owner Leo Sandoval for an unfiltered conversation about incarceration, addiction, felony convictions, faith, second chances, and building a new life through entrepreneurship. At one point, Leo was facing more than 140 months in prison on cocaine-related charges. He shares...

Success is rarely built in one defining moment. More often, it's built one job, one challenge, and one leap of faith at a time. On this episode of Twin City Tales , host Wymond Wong sits down with Kari Hefnider , owner of the Kari A. Hefnider Agency, an American Family Insurance agency in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, for a conversation about resilience, entrepreneurship, confidence, gratitude, and prot...

On this episode of Twin City Tales, host Wymond Wong sits down with Minnesota Vikings legend Greg Coleman for a powerful conversation about football, faith, leadership, perseverance, family, and learning how to “flip the field” when life changes unexpectedly. Greg grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, with a vision of one day reaching the NFL. After playing college football at Florida A&M Universi...

On this episode of Twin City Tales , host Wymond Wong sits down with Tracy Fallon , a Twin Cities-area mid-life reinvention coach, speaker, and founder of Prioritize and Thrive Coaching . Tracy’s story begins on a Wisconsin farm, where her early upbringing shaped her work ethic, perspective, and understanding of life’s seasons. From there, she moved to Minnesota for school at the University of Min...

In this episode of Twin City Tales , host Wymond Wong sits down with Tony Peltier , the owner of Tony Goes There and My Day DJ , two Minnesota businesses built around trust, service, safety, and creating a better experience for people across the entire Twin Cities metro area. Tony is best known throughout Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the surrounding Twin Cities metro as the friendly professional dri...

In this episode of Twin City Tales Podcast, Wymond sits down with Anh Huynh, the baker and heart behind Sprinkle of Hope Bakery in Blaine, Minnesota. Anh shares her story of growing up in Vietnam, why and how she ended up in Minnesota for college, and how her path has blended science, creativity, service, and community. From her passion as a biochemist to her love for baking custom cakes, Anh’s st...

On this episode of Twin City Tales, Wymond sits down with Dan Langton, owner of MN Stripes, a parking lot striping and pavement marking business based in Ramsey, Minnesota. Dan shares what it was like growing up in Ramsey, how he first got into striping, and what eventually led him to start MN Stripes. He talks about the path into a trade most people see every day but rarely think about, and what...

In this episode of Twin City Tales, host Wymond Wong sits down with Twila Marie Johnson for a deeply personal and courageous conversation about survival, healing, identity, and the long journey of finding your voice. Twila shares parts of her story of surviving abuse, navigating painful chapters, and learning how to keep moving forward even when life felt overwhelming. This conversation touches on...

In this episode of Twin City Tales, host Wymond Wong sits down with John Estrem, CEO of Hammer & NER, for a meaningful conversation about service, humanity, leadership, and the belief that every person is worthy of respect, love, and care. John shares the story of how he grew up and the values that shaped the way he sees people, community, and responsibility. A major influence in his life was...

In this episode of Twin City Tales, host Wymond Wong sits down with Jeannie GO Grimes, author, speaker, founder of The Level Up Leader, and creator of the Level Up Leader movement, for a powerful conversation about leadership, growth, boundaries, service, and what it really takes to step into your next level. Jeannie shares her story of growing up in Minnesota, attending Spring Lake Park High Scho...

In this episode of Twin City Tales, host Wymond Wong sits down with Mike Elwell of Ancona Title & Escrow for a conversation filled with family history, business lessons, personal growth, gratitude, and the kind of real-life perspective that only comes from experience. Mike shares his story of growing up connected to one of Minnesota’s most recognizable food legacies. His grandparents, Rose and...

In this episode of Twin City Tales, host Wymond Wong sits down with Grace Lovdahl of Twin City Heating Air and Electric for a personal and meaningful conversation about family, business, community, and what it takes to grow inside a company from the ground up. Grace shares her story of where she grew up, how she grew up, and the journey that eventually led her into the family business. This episod...

In this episode of Twin City Tales, host Wymond Wong sits down with Alex Pavlov, a Twin Cities Realtor with Edina Realty, local author, and storyteller with a powerful personal journey rooted in family, faith, resilience, and growth. Alex shares his story of growing up in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, coming from an immigrant family, and experiencing the different chapters of life that helped sha...

In this episode of Twin City Tales, host Wymond Wong sits down with Mai Miller, a Twin Cities real estate broker, Realtor, investor, and local community voice with Diversified Realty. Mai’s story is rooted in family, hard work, real estate, and purpose. One of her proudest accomplishments was helping her parents buy a business property that eventually helped them retire — a powerful example of how...