Seacoast Stories

" People that have been there, no explanation  is necessary, and people that haven't, no explanation is possible." Gregory Tufts spent years in Afghanistan and Iraq, serving as an emergency medic for the U.S. Army. He's also a full-time firefighter paramedic for the city of Portsmouth. Additionally, he's the founder of Forged Medical Wellness , a new practice in Rye that spec...

In a special bonus episode of Seacoast Stories , Juniper Pickwick returns the show to tell more stories of Portsmouth's haunted past. This time around, Pickwick tells host Troy Farkas tales from Portsmouth's oldest cemetery, the Point of Graves, which give a fascinating window into what life in colonial Portsmouth was really like. Plus, the real story behind the fires that burned the city...

Brian & Lindsey Pickowicz witnessed firsthand the immense pressure faced by the world's top performers. After a few years in Los Angeles, the ex-bodybuilders (and N.H. natives) moved to Dallas to become the live-in personal trainers for a very wealthy mortgage lender, giving the Pickowicz's an intimate look at what it's really like to be "successful." The large staffs. Th...

Victoria Arlen nearly died (again). Late last year, the Seacoast celebrity experienced another setback in her physical health, causing her to (temporarily) give up on her new book, spiral out of control, and return to the wheelchair she's spent years trying to stay out of. But as always, Arlen persevered, and now she's ready to tell her story more loudly than ever before. In front of a liv...

Ohana Kitchen is one of the most recognizable restaurant brands on the Seacoast. With locations in Portsmouth, Exeter, Kittery, and Dover, the fast-casual poke bowl joint is a fan favorite of many. And yet, despite the local chain's success, Ohana isn't enough for the husband-and-wife team of Jay and Stacy Krecklow. At least, not anymore. From the West End of Portsmouth, the Krecklows join...

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...

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 owne...

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 hos...

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...

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&...

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 eve...

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 runnin...

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 sh...

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...

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...

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 open...

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,...

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...

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 ye...

***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...

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 actre...

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 Go...

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 com...

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. To stay up-to-date on all of our podcasts, events, and newsletters, you can follow along here ⬇️ Follow the "Seacoast Stories" podcast on Spotify Follow the "Seacoast Stories" podcast on Apple Podcasts Follow the "Seacoast Stories" podcast on Yo...

In the final week off before the launch of Season 5, we replay one of the very first episodes of the "Seacoast Stories" podcast. Nick Callas is a New York City-based comedian who has toured with famous comedians Bryan Callen and Chris D'elia. With over 56,000 followers on Instagram, the star of the "Wolf Pup" comedy special joins host Troy Farkas to look back on Callas'...