On Location - Coastside Edition

In this second of a two-part series, Sophia chats with poet Monica Korde, whose collaborative installation with watercolor artist Hargun Maan is featured in a special exhibition at Kitsune Community Art Studio and Gallery in Half Moon Bay, California, through June 7, 2026. The installation is a scroll-form depiction of a poem, flowing from wall to tabletop and landing on a table with ordinary obje...

Host Sophia Layne steps inside a hidden artist's studio and gallery in Half Moon Bay, tucked behind a bike shop near California’s iconic Highway One. As Kitsune Studios hosts its third annual celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, they embark on a multi-media exploration of this year's theme – LEGACY. In this first of a two-part series, Sophia tours the exhibition with...

Host Sophia Layne heads to the inaugural FIRST Robotics California Northern State Championship for a front-row seat at one of the most energizing things happening on the Coastside — and possibly one of the most under the radar. This episode follows the Pumpkin Bots, Half Moon Bay's own teen robotics team, as they compete against some of the most well-resourced schools and programs in Silicon Valle...

Host Sophia Layne sits down with Susan Alvaro at the Half Moon Bay Library for a wide-ranging conversation about the inner workings of public education, the power of literacy, and the many ways community members can get involved locally . This episode weaves together a fascinating tour of how public education is structured from classroom to federal level, how early literacy gaps can harden into li...

There’s been so much to get swept up in at the national level over the past year or so – though while ‘flooding the zone’ is not a new strategy, the tides are indeed starting to turn (if slowly…). While it’s the traditional season for holiday baking and elves on the shelves, perhaps our biggest gift is in our power to slow down and take a break… Join Sophia for this short, bonus ‘video’ episode to...

Season One comes to a close not with a conclusion, but with an invitation. In this final episode, we reflect on a journey across Half Moon Bay, California—walking, talking, and listening to stories that reveal the interconnectedness of land, education, immigration, art, activism, and leadership. From massive pumpkins to movement-building protests, we explore what makes a community resilient and wh...

With the second nationwide No Kings protest now ready to roll, this live recording and reflection from the first event, just a few months ago, reinvigorates us as to the power we have in speaking up and building community driven to make our country -- and the world -- a better place for all . In this episode, Sophia chats with folks live at the June 14, 2025, protest in Half Moon Bay, and in refle...

Host Sophia Layne walks the Half Moon Bay, CA, blufftops with Barbara Dye — community leader, land trust advocate, and two-time Peace Corps volunteer. Barbara shares her journey from preserving thousands of acres in Southern California to stewarding open space on the Coastside, reflecting on the lessons she’s learned about conservation, civic engagement, and belonging. Through supporting open spac...

Host Sophia Layne chats with Virginia Chang-Kiraly, a member of both the San Mateo County Harbor District and Menlo Park Fire Protection District Boards, at Surfers Beach in Half Moon Bay, California, as whales spout just offshore and the hum of dredging and beach replenishment pipes fills the air. Sophia and Virginia walk the shoreline while exploring themes including the delicate balance between...

Host Sophia Layne walks through Half Moon Bay with Hector Camacho, Executive Director of Equity, Social Justice, and Inclusion at the San Mateo County Office of Education. As they pass by local schools, their conversation turns to what equity really means, why belonging matters, and how communities can take action to make both a reality. Listen in for a candid and hopeful conversation about belong...

Over pints of beer on the patio at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, host Sophia Layne sits down with co-founder Lenny Mendonca as he traces his journey from management consulting and statewide economic development, where he served as the governor’s chief economic advisor, to nonprofit leadership, small business ownership, and local life on the Coastside. Lenny reflects on bridging divides in Cal...

Host Sophia Layne walks and talks with Antonio López, San Mateo County Poet Laureate and former Mayor of East Palo Alto, in a conversation spanning poetry to politics. Antonio reflects on growing up in an immigrant family, how verse became his way of telling truth, and what he’s learned leading in literary circles, in city hall, and in classrooms. With humor, heart, and a poet’s eye, Antonio shows...

Host Sophia Layne talks with Erin Tormey , Director of the Coastside Farmers Market, about how the market began, the struggles and resistance she faced, and the global lessons of collaboration and resilience in farming. From global shifts in the floriculture industry to the rise of organic pioneers like Del Cabo, Erin shares how local markets create abundance, belonging, and opportunities for gene...

In this episode, host Sophia Layne joins Kique Bazán at the Saturday morning food distribution event of the local nonprofit Ayudando Latinos a Soñar (ALAS) in Half Moon Bay . Kique shares his journey from Peru to California’s San Mateo County Coastside, the formative experiences that inspired his lifelong commitment to education and human rights, and the powerful role of human connection in creati...

In this episode, host Sophia Layne visits Jayne Beatty at Miramar Farms near Half Moon Bay, where the conversation begins in Jane’s kitchen amid the smell of zucchini muffins baking in the oven and unfolds through a walk around her farm’s orchards and gardens. Jane shares how Miramar Farms offers a unique refuge for corporate and nonprofit leaders—a place to slow down, reconnect, and do deep strat...

Guest: Erin Tormey, Director of the Coastside Farmers Market, and Proprietor of Farm Fatales of Irish Ridge Ranch Host: Sophia Layne Location: Irish Ridge, Half Moon Bay 🎧 Episode Summary: In this heartwarming and deeply insightful episode, we visit Irish Ridge with Erin Tormey—farmer, food systems advocate, and the powerhouse behind the Coastside Farmers Market. From duck eggs to water tanks, fr...

Summary In this episode, Sophia chats with folks at a recent public protest in Half Moon Bay, and in reflection, she shares some thoughts regarding the importance of civic engagement, emphasizing a need for accurate information, a shift from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance, and advocating for sustainable investments in public infrastructure, and introduces this podcast as an experiment in h...