In My Hometown

In this holiday bonus episode of In My Hometown - Local Voices, Jamie talks with Wendy Silverman, founder of Peace, Love & Cookies — a beloved local brand built on joy, creativity, and connection. Wendy shares her entrepreneurial journey, the meaning behind her brand, and what it's really like to turn passion into a business. A warm, uplifting listen perfect for the holidays.

In this holiday bonus episode of In My Hometown: Local Voices, Jamie sits down one-on-one with Julia Fording, a licensed therapist who made the courageous decision pursue her true passion. They talk about overcoming self-doubt, trusting your inner voice, healing through life transitions, and why it’s never too late to choose a path that feels aligned. A thoughtful, grounding conversation for anyon...

As a special holiday bonus episode of In My Hometown- Local Voices, Jamie sits down one-on-one with Laura Merlo, a local yoga studio owner who has built more than a business — she’s built a community. They talk about entrepreneurship, wellness, and listening to your body. A calming, thoughtful conversation to listen to while walking, traveling, or taking a quiet moment for yourself.

Jordan Heller is back in the studio — and this time, he’s bringing his girlfriend, Emily Rooney!   They just celebrated their one year anniversary, and their happiness is undeniable. Pascal and Jamie sit down with Jordan and Emily to talk how they met, what their relationship looks like in reality, and how they navigate their 22-year age gap. Pascal — naturally — has a lot of questions (and though...

What if the strongest, fittest, most confident version of you is still ahead?  In this Golden Era conversation of In My Hometown, Jamie and Pascal are joined by Jodi Harrison Bauer - fitness competitor, trainer, entrepreneur, and host of the podcast Fearlessly Authentic - for an empowering and inspiring conversation about reinvention, strength and aging boldly.  They explore how Jodi transformed h...

Ever wondered what's really happening with plastic surgery, aging, Botox, filler, and the procedures celebs swear by? In this episode of In My Hometown, Jamie and Pascal sit down with Board-Certified and One of Chicago's Top Plastic Surgeons Dr. Michael Lee — host of the podcast I’d Love to Know — for an honest, smart, and surprisingly hilarious conversation about aging, appearance, and...

We’re back for Part 2 — and this one goes deeper. Jamie and Pascal return for an unfiltered breakdown of the Golden Bachelor Finale and After the Final Rose, because one recap wasn't enough.  We unpack: • Peg’s calm confidence and why it hit differently • Cindy’s emotional breaking point and what Mel wasn’t giving • Pascal’s behind-the-scenes stories from the ATFR taping • The “newly committe...

We’re diving into every twist of The Golden Bachelor Finale — from Cindy’s emotional decision to leave before the Fantasy Suite to Mel's proposing a "commitment" to Peg.  Relationship therapist and author Jaime Bronstein (“MAN*ifesting”) joins us to break down the communication gaps, emotional patterns, and real relationship dynamics that played out both on screen and behind the sce...

The Golden Bachelor Fantasy Suites in Antigua brought MAJOR drama: ✅ Peg & Mel: romantic, natural chemistry, overnight glow ❌ Cindy & Mel: tense dinner, hard questions, zero clarity Jamie and Pascal break it all down — including why Peg feels like the front-runner and whether Cindy deserves more answers. They also react to Gerry Turner’s memoir about his 3-month marriage to Theresa Nist...

The Women Tell All gave us everything we expected — tears, truth, and more than a few cringe moments. Pascal and Jamie talk Nicole’s tearful plea to Mel, Cheryl wondering what she could have done differently, Debbie questioning whether her being unmarried cost her the rose -- and that “I’m dating America” line from Nicole that had everyone talking.  Then Jackie Pilossoph, founder of Divorced Girl...

The Golden Bachelor Season 2 with Mel Owens continues with Hometown Dates for Peggy, Debbie and Cindy.  Hosts Jamie Stein and Pascal unpack the most revealing week yet - with returning special guest, Jordan Heller. Mel met the families of Peggy, Debbie and Cindy, but even hometown warmth couldn’t melt his cool exterior. Both Cindy’s and Peggy’s daughters voiced doubts, saying they couldn’t get a r...

In this week’s In My Hometown Golden Bachelor Recap, hosts Jamie Stein and Pascal are joined by professional matchmaker and relationship expert April Fletcher from Spark Matchmaking to dive deep into love, drama, and second chances on The Golden Bachelor. Together, they break down the latest episode of The Golden Bachelor, where Mel is down to six women and the L-word is flying. Is it really possi...

In this week’s special edition of In My Hometown: The Golden Bachelor Recap--  co-hosts Jamie Stein and Pascal break down all the drama from last night’s episode. 🌹 We dive into: -Peg’s 1:1 date at the OC Fair 🎡 (Spoiler alert: Mel didn't open up about anything). -Nicole’s confession that she may be here more for followers than for love  -The awkward group date beach photo shoot 🏖  -A tailg...

Golden Bachelor Recap Episode 2 is here—and it was jam-packed with drama, laughs, and tough goodbyes. From the group date comedy roast with Jared Freid, to Nicole's 1:1, to Debbie’s cooking date (there's more than one kind of pepper), plus a surprise slumber party with Bachelor alum Susan Noles and Kathy Swarts - it’s clear the journey for Mel Owens is only getting more intense. On this...

Golden Bachelor drama will be back - but today, we're diving into college drama, applications, essays and advice. College applications don’t come with a manual — but this episode gets pretty close. This week on In My Hometown, host Jamie Stein sits down with Steph Degodny, a sought-after college counselor and essay coach, for a real conversation about what students and parents actually need t...

The Golden Bachelor is back—and so are Chicago's Hometown bachelors (and #MansionMen from Season 1 of The Golden Bachelorette) Pascal Ibgui, Jordan Heller, and Jack Lencioni 🌹✨ In this special The Golden Bachelor recap episode, Jamie Stein teams up with  Pascal —a finalist from The Golden Bachelorette—to talk drama, controversy, and predictions from The Golden Bachelor premiere on ABC.  Joi...

This week on In My Hometown, Jamie Stein sits down with Sarah Hall—actress, owner of a local theatre company, and passionate arts advocate for people of all ages. Sarah shares her journey from performing on stage to building a community space where kids can explore theatre and dance, discover their confidence, and fall in love with the arts. We talk about: Her experience in LA as an actress (with...

What does it mean to dedicate your life to faith and community? In this episode of In My Hometown, host Jamie Stein sits down with Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein, Senior Rabbi of Am Shalom, to talk about his journey to the rabbinate, what it's like raising kids as "the Rabbi's children," and the unique role of being a local figure and community leader. From his decision to becom...

In this episode, I sit down with Dustin O’Regan, Editor-in-Chief of Sheridan Road Magazine, to explore her inspiring journey into publishing and storytelling. Known as a true social connector or "pollinator" -- Dustin shares how her passion for important causes, celebrating women doing amazing things, discovering meaningful stories, and building community has shaped her career and her li...

I sit down with painter and installation artist and mom of 3 boys, Nicole Gordon to explore the moments and mentors that shape who we become. We talk about the lasting influence of teachers on our lives and trajectories, Nicole's unique artistic process, and decision to attend University of Michigan vs a small art school.  This is a conversation about creativity, guidance, and the unexpected...

On this week's episode I sit down with Julie and Lou Rubin— the husband-and-wife team behind Hometown Coffee & Juice - THE go-to-gathering spot with locations along Chicago's North Shore. If you’ve ever walked through their doors, you know it’s more than a cafe. It’s become the beating heart of every community it’s in—a place where people come together and everyone feels like a local...

In this episode of In My Hometown, host Jamie Stein sits down with Dan Ponce, WGV-TV Morning News anchor and founding member of the vocal group Straight No Chaser. Journalism runs deep in Dan's family -his father, Phil Ponce, former reporter and long-time host of show "Chicago Tonight" -and his brother Anthony also followed the path into reporting. Dan shares what it was like growin...

In the very first episode of In My Hometown, we sit down with Pascal Ibgui, owner of Pascal Pour Elle salon in Glencoe, IL and finalist from the first season of ABC's The Golden Bachelorette. Pascal shares how he built one of the Northshore's most iconic salons, lessons learned, and what it was like to swap his scissors for a rose on national TV.  It's a conversation full of style,...

In My Hometown is where we get into the business of our neighbors. Each episode spotlights the people who live and work next door - entrepreneurs, artists, leaders, and everyday people shaping our communities.  Host Jamie Stein sits down for thoughtful conversations about what they do, why they do it, their passions, purpose, challenges, and more.  Because the most inspiring stories aren't al...