Small Lake City

A small town in Italy where balsamic vinegar and Ferrari share the same air taught Matteo two things: food should slow time, and precision is a kind of love. That’s the heartbeat of this conversation—a founder who brought his family to Utah to build a restaurant that feels like Sunday lunch, where you leave knowing your people a little better. We dig into the moments that forged his approach: lear...

Need a quick, satisfying listen for the holidays? We’re dropping a short update with a heavy hitter from our Vault: the Mateo Sonier story—born in Italy, record-breaker at the University of Utah, and the force behind a beloved Italian restaurant built with his family by his side. This is a grounded, human blueprint for turning personal history into a resilient business, with lessons on discipline,...

The shortest updates can point to the biggest stories. This week we spotlight a Vault favorite with Julian Carr—his journey from professional skier to repeat entrepreneur to new dad—and unpack why that arc lands for skiers, founders, and anyone rethinking the next chapter. It’s a grounded look at risk, reinvention, and the skills that transfer when life changes lanes. We’re also turning up the com...

What does it really take to turn fear into fuel? We open the vault to revisit our conversation with Julian Carr, the pro skier known for launching off massive cliffs and setting records, who then channeled that same high-stakes mindset into building companies and a global trailrunning series. If you’ve ever wondered how precision and courage translate beyond the mountains, this replay is a masterc...

Salt Lake moved fast this week, and we’re connecting the dots between pocketbook policies, stadium culture, and a neighborhood on the brink of change. We open with a quick highlight of our conversation with Jeff Miller, where fixed-price car buying and community investment flip the usual dealership script. That theme of clarity and trust carries into a bigger question: what happens when private eq...

A coin flip chose Subaru. The rest is strategy. Jeff Miller, fourth-generation owner of Mark Miller Subaru, joins us to share how a family dealership in Salt Lake City rewired the car-buying experience around trust, speed, and community. We dig into the city’s uniquely family-led dealership ecosystem, the moment the Outback transformed Subaru’s trajectory, and why the Miller team embraced one-pric...

Season two kicks off with momentum, local stories, and a guest who puts real dollars behind the phrase “community impact.” We sit down with Jeff Miller, the fourth-generation owner of Mark Miller Subaru, to unpack how a family dealership wields influence in Salt Lake City—and why they’ve tied every car sold to a direct donation. The model is simple but bold: $250 to a buyer’s chosen nonprofit, plu...

A quick Tuesday update with a lot of heartbeat: we’re celebrating Thanksgiving week with a shot of good news, a big giveaway, and a sharper vision for what comes next. Eric shares how the Small Lake City Podcast is leveling up for Season Two, why community impact drives every choice we make, and how a late-night spark turned into a new format that brings local stories closer to your daily life. We...

A farm kid who learned to “leave the field only when the work is done” found his way into venture capital, helped power Utah’s tech ascent, and said “ok” to a family decision that would change lives at Primary Children’s Hospital. Join us as we sit down with Peleon Venture Partners’ managing partner, Blake Modersitzki, to unpack how unlikely turns—security guard shifts at WordPerfect, a move to Ne...

A basement, a sketchbook, and a stubborn belief that boredom can be a gift—that’s where this story starts. John Darley takes us from Florida swamps and Salt Lake basements to New York studios and back again, unpacking how a youngest child with high risk tolerance became a nationally awarded figurative painter. He talks about the ruthless discipline of apprenticeship under Jeff Hine, eight-hour mod...

Have a Question? Ask it here! Check out the DLX 313 at Via313 today! Questions about buying or selling a home in Utah? Email Spencer spencer.ford@vuere.com or use the contact form here to get in touch Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time  Support the show Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYN...

What turns a group ride into a real community? We sit down with Stuart Anderson, the steady force behind Mi Duole, to explore how a Utah cycling club built on “suffering together” became a home for riders of every stripe. From CrossFit beginnings to triathlons and, finally, to dawn patrol climbs up Emigration and Millcreek, Stuart shares how the bike became a place to do hard things and talk about...

A milestone deserves more than a pat on the back—it deserves intention. We just crossed 100 episodes and closed season one, but the path there wasn’t linear. Our live recording with Shireen Gorbani hit a technical snag, and rather than push a fragment into your feed, we pivoted to a conversation that captures what this show is about: building community with craft, care, and consistency. Enter Ange...

A family secret. A fork in the road. A choice that reshaped Utah’s creative landscape. Angela Brown joins us to share how a canyon kid with a camera became the force behind SLUG Magazine and the founder of Craft Lake City, turning a tiny zine and a DIY idea into two of the region’s most influential cultural platforms. We trace Angela’s path from Emigration Canyon to darkrooms and record stores, wh...

Big milestone, bigger conversation. We tee up Episode 100 with Shireen Gorbani, CEO of Planned Parenthood Utah, while keeping the local energy high with a Halloween kickoff, a listener discount, and a nudge to get those costumes ready. It’s a quick update that sets the scene for a meaningful, wide-ranging story about leadership, identity, and impact in a place where opinions are strong and communi...

What if your divorce didn’t feel like a war but a turning point? We sit down with attorney Nonie Ferguson, founder of Law Elevated in Park City, to unpack a people-first approach to family law that prioritizes mental health, clarity, and durable outcomes over courtroom theatrics. Nonie shares how years as a South Florida public defender sharpened her litigation instincts—evidence, objections, narr...

A festival high, a hard pause, and a guest who reimagines what “family law” can feel like—this week brings all three into sharp focus. We relive Red Westfest’s standout sets (Ian Munsick’s ease, Ella Langley’s spark, Sam Barber’s grit, a live‑better‑than‑album turn from Noah Kahan, and Kacey Musgraves casting a twilight spell) before confronting how fast celebration can flip when weather goes side...

The first snap of October hits different in the Wasatch—gold aspens flashing in the canyons, crisp air, and the urge to grab your boots and wander. We ride that energy into a story-filled update anchored by our new conversation with James Atkin, a St. George skater who spent over a decade on the road before stepping into the marketing seat at a fast-rising gear brand. The twist: what starts as a s...

A broken heart, a one-way drive to Carlsbad, and a couch full of spare change turned into a first Hurley ad in Japan—and that same relentless “show up” streak later powered neighborhoods during Hurricane Sandy. James Atkin, now VP of Marketing at Nomatic, takes us through the kinetic path from 90s skate grime to global brand building, showing how falling down (and getting up) becomes a lifelong op...

https://skyslc.com/event/swimming-paul/ Code "SMALLTALK" for 10% off Fall is finally upon us in Salt Lake City, bringing cooler temperatures, hoodie weather, and a fresh lineup of exciting events and conversations.  First, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for our live episode featuring Shereen Ghorbani. Your presence and questions made the event special, and your feedback...

Scott Haslam stands at the intersection of entrepreneurial success and community-building creativity as the mastermind behind both King Bee Vans and Ranger Sound Car. From his junkyard office in Salt Lake City, he's crafting a legacy that transcends traditional business boundaries. Starting with a simple question – "how can this scale?" – Scott transformed a small vehicle upfitting...

Fall is in the air, and Small Lake City is buzzing with activity! Fresh from indulging in the delights of the Greek Festival—a cultural staple featuring mouthwatering gyros, rice, and baklava—we're riding a wave of excitement about what's coming next for our community. Our recent conversations have been nothing short of inspiring. Dr. Mallorie Craycroft shared her groundbreaking work wit...

After fifteen years as a traditional OBGYN, Dr. Mallorie Cracroft found herself at a crossroads. Despite loving her patients and practice partners, she struggled with the impossible balance between career demands and family life. Exhausted from delivering babies all night, then falling asleep on the floor while caring for her own children, she constantly wondered: could medicine be practiced diffe...

From the medical establishment to medical rebel, Mallory Cracroft's journey challenges everything we thought we knew about women's healthcare. After years as a practicing OBGYN, Cracroft found herself increasingly frustrated by a system that compartmentalizes women's health issues rather than seeing the whole person. Her response? She walked away from her medical career to found Upl...

Liddy Huntsman brings a unique perspective to Salt Lake City politics as she transitions from comedy stages to the campaign trail. In this captivating conversation, she opens up about growing up as the self-proclaimed "black sheep" of the politically prominent Huntsman family, sharing hilarious stories of hosting High School Musical dancers at the Governor's mansion and navigating l...