Little Local Conversations

Meet Ariel Nathanson! She's the founder of Finances for Feminists, a financial coaching business here in Watertown. We chat about her early interest in money (including keeping spreadsheets of her Beanie Baby collection), the three lenses she views finance through (political, societal, and individual) and how that drives the way she approaches her coaching, and we talk about a few of her favo...

Meet Amelia Young! She's the Coordinator at Hatch Makerspace here in Watertown. We chat about her early discoveries with materials, her path being involved with various collaborative spaces over the years at MassArt, Harvard, a middle school library, and the Institute for Contemporary Art, and of course we talk about Hatch itself including tools (from 3D printers to sewing machines), free cla...

Meet Liz Padula! She's the owner of Artemis Yoga here in Watertown. We chat about her childhood experiences with yoga and body awareness, her time in Silicon Valley (and how she left to seek something more impactful to people's day-to-day life), and how she's gone about cultivating a welcoming community within her studio and in places throughout the larger community. Learn more abou...

Meet Andrea Santopietro! She's the Executive Director at Watertown Cable Access Corporation (better known as WCA-TV). We chat about how she first got into film and into her current role, the variety of resources WCA-TV offers the community (including podcasting workshops!), and WCA-TV's unique source of funding (and how cutting your cable affects their funding). Visit WCA-TV's websi...

Meet Bob Airasian! He's a real estate broker, co-president of the Watertown Business Coalition, and is involved with many other things in Watertown. We talk about his biggest volunteer moments, how he carved his path through a couple career changes, and his belief that if you focus on helping others you'll get what you need in business and life. Find Bob here: https://bobairasian.com/ Su...

Meet Archy LaSalle! He's the Vice Chair of the Watertown Public Arts and Culture Committee, a passionate activist, and working photographer. Archy has a lot of stories and we touch on some of them by chatting about his experiences in educational activism including being part of multiple efforts to open first-of-their-kind centers, schools, and programs, his personal roots in activism and art,...

Meet Charlie Breitrose! He's the editor of Watertown News. We talk about how he runs his one person operation, how Watertown News gets more unique monthly visitors than the population of Watertown, and his own personal journey into journalism and the local scene. See what's going on in Watertown: https://www.watertownmanews.com/ If you already follow the news and want to support Charlie:...

Meet Liz Helfer! She works for the City of Watertown as the Public Arts and Culture Planner and she's also a working sculptor in the region. We talk about her winding journey from building clay cities with her twin sister, to building a sculpture in Latvia, coming to Watertown through the Hatch Makerspace, and her current role as the city's first Public Arts and Culture Planner.  Check o...

Meet Nicole Kootz! She runs Bright Strings Studio here in Watertown where she teaches violin and viola lessons using the Suzuki Method and Alexander Technique. In our conversation we talk about her musical journey including the common issue of musicians encountering pain and what solutions that led her to, her teaching philosophy including giving space for people to think, and an explanation of wh...

Meet Allie Fry! She's the Programming Librarian at the Watertown Free Public Library. We talk about what attracted her to the library here in Watertown (she's from the Midwest), the lesser known programming for adults that the library offers, and all the other great stuff about the library. Subscribe to the library's newsletter here . Library website: https://watertownlib.org/ Conta...

Meet Merle Kummer! She's the co-founder and president of CoLAB: High School STEM Collaboration. We talk about her movement from Kendall Square to Watertown to seek a more connected community, how CoLAB came to be and the unique ways it engages high schoolers in the possibilities of STEM work, and she shares a bit about the life science sector here in Watertown. Find out more about CoLAB onlin...

Meet Gavin Kleespies! He's the new Executive Director at Gore Place. Listen to learn more about Gore Place and some of its little known history (including steam-powered build-it-yourself cars) and a bit of insight into what it's like to be an executive director. Find Gore Place online: https://goreplace.org/ Sheepshearing Festival (Saturday, April 27th) Support the show Head on over to w...

Meet Jan Taylor! She’s the owner of Get Lively Health and Fitness and she’s here to make people smile while they exercise. Listen to learn more about her business journey from basement to full blown fitness and lifestyle studio and more of her personal story. Find her online: getlivelynow.com Support the show Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, a...

Meet Doug Orifice! He is the co-founder of the Watertown Business Coalition, owner of Arsenal Financial, and self-described Watertown lover. Learn more about him, his background, and what he’s up to in Watertown. Find him online: www.watertownbusinesscoalition.com www.arsenalfinancial.com Support the show Head on over to www.littlelocalconversations.com to check out all the episodes, events, and e...