LOCAL WHIDBEY WITH MAGSY

There's a particular rhythm to life on Whidbey that you can't find anywhere else—a tide-driven cadence that shapes everything from when we wake to what ends up on our plates. In the "Saltwater Lives" series, we're diving into the stories of those whose lives move with the water, whose hands bear the marks of nets and lines, and whose identities are woven into the very salt spray of this island. To...

Some people look at the ocean and see a frontier; others see a home. For Dr. Florian Graner, the waters around Whidbey Island are both a laboratory and a canvas. He is a scientist, a conservationist, and an award-winning filmmaker who has taken the hidden world beneath the waves and brought it to screens across the globe. From his work with Disney and Netflix to his latest acclaimed film, Orcas —...

Why would someone come to Whidbey Island to disappear? Novelist T Kira Māhealani Madden talks about refuge, memory, and the island at the center of her new novel 'Whidbey'. Today on Local Whidbey Podcast, I’m joined by T Kira Māhealani Madden, an award-winning writer whose highly anticipated new novel Whidbey is set right here on Whidbey Island. T Kira first came to national attention with her deb...

Meg Olson is one of those people who make a town feel like home. If you’ve ever walked into Kingfisher Bookstore and felt immediately welcomed, challenged, entertained, or gently told what you should be reading—there’s a good chance you’ve met Meg Olson. Meg is the owner of Kingfisher Bookstore in Coupeville, and she is funny, outspoken, wildly knowledgeable, and absolutely unafraid to jump in and...

If you’ve ever thought mead was just a medieval novelty — or something overly sweet — today’s conversation might completely change your mind. On Whidbey Island, there’s a meadery that’s quietly redefining what mead can be by blending honey, botanicals, fermentation science, and a deep respect for pollinators and place. Hierophant Meadery in Freeland is owned by Jeremy Kyncl and Michelle Scandalis...

Today on the Local Whidbey Podcast we are honored to have Alanah Lawrason, known in these parts as the “Farm-Her” of Foggy Hill Farm. Nestled on Whidbey Island, Foggy Hill is a two-acre vegetable and cut-flower farm that’s as much about growing community as it is about growing food. Alanah has been farming in some capacity for about eight years — including roughly five years here on Whidbey — lear...

Today on Local Whidbey, we’re turning the microphone around — and in the best possible way. I’ve invited someone I admire, Tiffany Scribner, Program Manager for Leadership Whidbey, to step in as our guest host. If you know Tiffany, you know she has a gift for guiding conversations, drawing out people’s stories, and helping leaders understand not just what they do, but why they do it. Her work with...

There’s something I love about talking with people who’ve chosen Whidbey Island — people who didn’t just land here by accident but saw something in this place worth rooting into. My guest today, Hannah Andersen, is one of those people. She’s the Outreach and Education Coordinator for the Whidbey Island Conservation District, and part of a younger generation that’s quietly shaping the island’s futu...

Today on Local Whidbey with Magsy, we’re turning up the heat — literally — with one of the most entertaining chefs to ever land in the Pacific Northwest kitchen scene. You might remember him from The Next Food Network Star back in the day, but these days you’ll find him cooking up something even better — laughter, learning, and a whole lot of flavor — right here in the PNW. Chef Tommy Grella has b...

ENJOY THE LAST HOLIDAY RE-LISTEN! By the way ... listen to the end to learn how to teach for WILASC. Hai Anh Vue is looking for professional who love arts, languages and STEM. Today’s guest is about to blow your mind, expand your horizons, and quite possibly make you wish you’d paid more attention in science class.  We are talking to the brilliant Hai Anh Vue, the powerhouse behind the Whidbey Isl...

ENJOY THIS WEEKS HOLIDAY RE-LISTEN   You know how some people just have that magic touch? Like, they can capture a moment so perfectly that you swear you can hear the music, smell the salty sea air, and feel the collective joy of a crowd in a single photograph? Well, that’s Dennis Browne for you. This guy is basically the unofficial historian of Whidbey’s music scene—except instead of a dusty old...

This week is the third week of 're-listens' or maybe a new 'listen' for you as we are in the Holiday season. This week I'm bringing back Todd Hipsher or known on social media as @PNWBirdie. He walks somewhere on Whidbey Island everyday and takes amazing photographs. They are mesmerizing. He has quite the following. Enjoy his Whidbey Island journey. THE RE-LISTEN In today’s episode, I was honored t...

This week is the second week of 're-listens' or maybe a new 'listen' for you as we start the Holiday season. This week I'm bringing back Adrienne Hawkins of Zen Esthetics in Oak Harbor. Adrienne loves living on Whidbey Island, after being transferred here with her hubs military career. I was honored to be invited to his retirement ceremony. If you have never been to one, go if you receive an invit...

This week is the first week of 're-listens' or maybe a new 'listen' for you as we start the Holiday season. This week I'm bringing back Jonathan and Mike of Whidbey Distillery. They were so fun and were my first guests.  On today's episode of Local Whidbey Podcast, we're heading straight into the heart of Crafting Spirits and Community Pride, with the new dynamic behind Whidbey Distillery Jonathan...

On this episode of Local Whidbey with Magsy, we’re taking a delicious little detour… straight from the Food Network to Bayview Corner.   If you’ve been anywhere near Langley lately, you’ve probably heard whispers — or full-volume raves — about Japonica, the new Japanese comfort-food spot created by chef Joan Samson and her sommelier husband Ed Hodson.   Joan trained in one of the toughest Japanese...

On the southern end of Whidbey Island, tucked inside 106 acres of moss-lined trails and cathedral-quiet forest, sits a place that’s been quietly shaping hearts and ideas for fifty years. It’s called The Whidbey Institute, and it’s where leaders, artists, scientists, and seekers gather to ask the kind of questions that don’t always have tidy answers — questions about belonging, purpose, resilience,...

When we think of neighborhoods, most of us picture long rows of houses, driveways, and maybe a park down the street. But what if there was a better way to live — one that put connection, belonging, and beauty at the heart of community design. Today’s guest has dedicated his life to re-imagining how we live together. Architect Ross Chapin is the visionary behind the concept of Pocket Neighborhoods ...

Hello Listener, You know those writers whose words literally shape how we live—public notices, policy briefs, the fine print that keeps a community running? For years, Janice Cummings O’Mahony was one of them. She wrote for government agencies and civic projects where every word had to be factual, clear, and airtight. And then she did something beautifully unpredictable—she crossed the line from p...

Today’s guest has truly taken life to new heights—literally. Robert DeLaurentis is not only the owner of DeLaurentis International Airport in Oak Harbor, but he’s also a record-setting aviator, accomplished author, and philanthropist. He was the first solo pilot to fly a small, single-engine plane, around the world in 2015.The flight covered 26,000 nautical miles and 23 countries in 98 days for a...

Hello Listeners—today’s guest is basically the Beyoncé of breath support. We’re talking about someone who’s turned the mysterious, often intimidating world of voice training into an open door for, well... all of us. Shower singers, Broadway hopefuls, reluctant public speakers—Jana Szabo has coached them all. She has a background that starts in New York, winds through Seattle, takes a deep detour i...

What if real estate wasn’t just about transactions—but transformation? What if the way we buy, sell, and steward land was less about square footage and more about soil health, community connection, spirit, and story? Today’s guests, Alissa and Neal Collins, are doing just that. As co-founders of Latitude Regenerative Real Estate, they specialize in life-giving, ecologically rich properties that ch...

Today on Local Whidbey with Magsy, we’re climbing aboard one of Coupeville’s most beloved maritime treasures — the Schooner Suva. My guest is Mark Saia, who not only has helped keep Suva’s sails billowing but also keeps her stories alive for the community. Suva herself is a piece of living history. Built in 1925 and designed by the renowned naval architect Ted Geary, she has sailed Puget Sound for...

Hello listener! So, here’s the scene: You’re on Whidbey Island, and have decided to stop at a few of the Island Grown Cooperative Farm and Food trail locations.  Driving just north of Clinton, hang a left on Cultus Bay Road to go to Glendale Shepherd, a beautiful property in the woods, above the Admiralty Inlet facing Mukilteo.  At the heart of these sheep lovers are Lynn and Stan Swanson, the kin...

Today on Local Whidbey, we’re welcoming someone who has been quietly (and not-so-quietly) transforming Coupeville into a cultural cornerstone of the Pacific Northwest—Lisa Bernhardt, the Executive Director of the Pacific Northwest Art School and administrator of the Coupeville Creative District. Lisa isn’t just running an art school—she’s running a movement. Under her leadership, the Pacific North...

Hello folks! Today’s episode is not your average stroll down a Whidbey Island beach with a latte and a Labrador.   We are going to go global. Flamenco global. Italy-meets-Island-meets-a-guitar-that-might-just-seduce-you kind of global. Today’s audacious Islander is a world-renowned virtuoso.   Our guest is the one and only Andre Feriante, guitar maestro and expert ‘cross-over artist’.  Poet of str...