Be Locally Loved

What does it take to help a rapidly growing city stay connected, informed, and welcoming? In this episode of Be Locally Loved, Laura Capes Terry sits down with Aly Van Dyke and Beth Wade from the City of Georgetown’s Communications and Public Engagement Department—better known as CAPE—to explore the vital role communication plays in building strong communities. Drawing on their backgrounds in jour...

What does it take to help someone feel at home in a new community? In this episode of Be Locally Loved, Laura Capes Terry sits down with Alison Scoby and Jason Evers Helmlich, publishers of Be Local Elk Grove and Be Local Sacramento, to explore how intentional connection can transform both communities and local businesses. Drawing inspiration from years of travel and a love for discovering hidden...

In this episode of Be Locally Loved, Laura Capes Terry sits down with Cathleen “Cat” Phelps, Executive Director of the Sport Clips Family YMCA in Georgetown, Texas, to explore what it truly means to build a thriving community. From her early days working at the YMCA in Wichita, Kansas, to helping lead one of Georgetown’s most ambitious community projects, Cat shares how service, leadership, and co...

🌟 Episode Summary In this episode of Be Locally Loved, Laura Capes Terry and Trent Soles unpack one of the biggest reasons business owners feel frustrated with marketing: they’ve been taught to think in campaigns instead of systems. The conversation explores how many local business owners fall into “random acts of marketing” — chasing trends, trying disconnected tactics, and expecting immediate r...

In this Creative Spark episode of Be Locally Loved, Laura Capes Terry and Trent Soles unpack one of the most misunderstood topics in business growth: marketing ROI. Instead of viewing ROI as a simple “return on investment,” they challenge business owners to think about it as “return on impact” — the long-term influence marketing has on trust, visibility, engagement, and customer relationships. The...

In this episode, Laura Capes Terry and Trent Soles unpack one of the most common frustrations among business owners: “I tried that, and it didn’t work.” But what if the issue isn’t the marketing itself—what if it’s the timeline? Through honest conversation and real-world examples, they explore why marketing is often misunderstood as a quick fix rather than a long-term system. From the dangers of r...

In this short “Creative Spark” episode, Laura Capes Terry and Trent Soles challenge one of the most common assumptions in business: that more leads equal more growth. Instead, they unpack why this mindset often leads to frustration, wasted resources, and misaligned customers—and how it can actually stall long-term success. The conversation explores the deeper issue behind the “more leads” mentalit...

In this episode of Be Locally Loved, Laura and Trent explore the powerful idea that people don’t remember what you sell—they remember how you make them feel. Drawing inspiration from a recent Disney experience, they unpack how intentional, well-crafted moments can leave lasting impressions that shape how people connect with businesses, communities, and each other. Through stories of Walt Disney’s...

Some seasons of leadership feel like standing in the rubble, wondering if what you’re building will ever stand again. In this episode, we sit with Tori Clark as she invites us into one of those seasons—the acquisition and turnaround of a struggling med spa, and the slow, sacred work of rebuilding culture, trust, and human connection. Tori walks us through what it really takes to lead people out of...

Episode Summary We tend to celebrate growth. More people. More rooftops. More opportunity. But underneath that growth, something quieter—and far more dangerous—is happening. In this short but powerful episode, Laura Capes Terry shares a perspective that most business owners haven’t yet put into words: in a growing community, brand awareness doesn’t grow—it resets. Every time a new family moves in,...

We’ve been sitting with so many conversations lately—business owners doing “all the things” and still feeling frustrated, stuck, or disappointed with their marketing. And if we’re honest, we’ve been there too. Expecting marketing to produce something it was never designed to do. In this episode, we gently pull back the curtain and reset what marketing actually is—and what it isn’t. Because marketi...

In this powerful and timely conversation, Laura and Trent unpack one of the biggest questions business owners and creatives are wrestling with right now: Is AI helping us—or replacing us? Instead of approaching AI with fear, they reframe it as a tool—one that, when used well, can actually strengthen your voice, not dilute it. Laura shares her personal journey from finding her voice to now helping...

🌟 Episode Summary In this episode of Be Locally Loved, Laura sits down with longtime BeLocal leader Jeremy Roentz to answer one of the most common questions business owners ask: “What’s the ROI?” Jeremy brings years of experience building BeLocal publications and partnerships in growing communities. Instead of focusing only on dollars and direct attribution, he reframes the conversation around so...

🌟 Episode Summary In this episode, Laura and Trent sit down with Georgetown entrepreneur Theo Thurston, founder of Get Age Fit, a boutique personal training studio dedicated to helping adults ages 35–85 reclaim strength, vitality, and quality of life. Theo shares the story behind his journey—from a life-changing 12-week fitness transformation at age 47 to building a thriving 8,000-square-foot tra...

🌟 Episode Summary In this episode of Be Locally Loved, Laura Capes Terry sits down with Shirly Ellison, Area Director for Be Local in the Boston region and recipient of the prestigious Big Dog Award. With a background as a tax attorney and business consultant, Shirly brings both strategic insight and lived experience to the conversation. She has launched and grown multiple Be Local publications a...

🌟 Episode Summary In this episode of Be Locally Loved, Laura sits down with Kim McAuliffe, Downtown and Tourism Director for the City of Georgetown and leader of the award-winning Georgetown Main Street Program. With nearly two decades of experience in local government and downtown revitalization, Kim offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it truly takes to build — and sustain — a thriving town...

🌟 Episode Summary In this episode of Be Locally Loved, host Laura Capes Terry sits down with co-host Trent Soles to unpack the inspiration and impact behind BeLocal — a platform designed to proactively welcome new homeowners and connect them with trusted local businesses. Together, they explore how BeLocal was born from a simple but powerful need: new homeowners often move into a town with no cle...

🌟 Episode Summary In this opening episode of Be Locally Loved, Laura Capes Terry asks a simple but powerful question: what makes a town feel like home—not just for longtime locals, but for the families who just arrived last week? As cities grow quickly and businesses compete for attention, communities face a real tension. New families are excited but overwhelmed. Longtime residents feel the pace...

Welcome to Be Locally Loved, the podcast that celebrates the people, places, and ideas that help communities thrive. In this trailer episode, host Laura Capes Terry shares the heartbeat behind the show — a deep belief that strong communities don’t happen by accident. They are built through trust, connection, and everyday people who choose to care. Each episode will spotlight: • Community leaders s...