The Groovy Shack

In this episode Alex sits down with TGS Barn Party vendor Gabe of Mijos Oak BBQ to talk all things Santa Maria style grilling!! We talked the history of the pits, what makes Santa Maria style different, how he got into cooking for the masses and so much more! If you’re a BBQ lover or you just want to get to know a little more about one of our food vendors - this is for you! You’ll be able to come...

In this episode with Renee we talk about her health journey, motherhood to four beautiful children, getting to the root problem of symptoms that women experience, and how all of that encouraged her to go back to school to become an Integrative Health Practitioner so she could help other women on their health journeys. This episode also airs at the perfect time because she’s opening her first brick...

In this episode, Alex sits down with Vanessa of Thrift Slayer Vintage to talk about her origin story and how she started slaying the thrift. She talks about how it started from an early age with her parents who were young parents, and how that’s evolved into a passion project and way of life for her now. We also talked about her journey and raising three young men who are all adults now, and how s...

After an 11 month hiatus… or a season of hibernation… The Groovy Shack Pod is back!!! Take a listen as Alex shares why she needed a pause, as well as a reflection on the first year of having the brick and mortar shop! Give it a listen and let us know if anything resonated with you ❤️

This is part 2 of our 3 hour interview with Jenny Woods - if you missed part 1 you’ll want to go back and listen it HERE - it gives backstory and explains how she became a part of the Mormon world. This episode still deserves a trigger warning around sexual assault as it is discussed. In part 2 we dive more into her and her husband Aaron getting married, having kids, moving around, and of course -...

In this episode with Jenny, we talked about her nearly 20 years being a member of the Church of Latter-Day Saints (Mormonism). Her and her family became active members when she was around eight years old, and she went on to tell the whole story of what it was like in the church, what some of the ceremonies were, her young women’s program, and so much more. We do have to give a trigger warning as t...

In this episode with Dana, we talked about how she went from being a wedding photographer for over 14 years with her husband, to moving to Sonora and opening a sweet gift and home goods shop. She bounced around from a couple different locations as she gradually outgrew her space, and now she calls downtown Sonora home. She’s right across from The Groovy Shack and has become a fast friend offering...

This episode was recorded at nine months postpartum with my first son while I was still working primarily freelance/for TGS just out of my home office. Things have obviously changed so much in the last 6+ months but this episode still rings true. If you’re at work from home mom or stay at home mom this one is for you… We’re all working even if the work looks little different for some! @thealexmore...

In this episode with Parisa of Café Planta, we talked about how she got into houseplants interior design, and how she was able to scale her business from being pop-ups to suddenly sharing a brick and mortar space with Wildbud. She originally started selling plants out of Local Collective which was the first retailer to sell her products! She talks about collaboration, uplifting other women busines...

This episode is a little bit different from what we usually do, but we wanted to keep a super short and sweet episode available so we could chat affirmations and so it gives you a chance to slow down, repeat some of these things out loud and start rewiring your brain with positivity self-worth, and lots of other good things!

In this episode I sat down with Marin Soldano, who is the founder of Jonnie the Label in Angel’s Camp. We talked about her previous experience in retail and fashion and what inspired her to want to take the leap to start her own boutique. We talked about some of the challenges, some of the highs, and some of the things that you just don’t know until you take that jump and start something! We talke...

In this episode, I had my best friend Aryana on the podcast to talk all things, alteration, fashion, and design. With an extensive background in fashion, apparel and accessory design, we talked through her journey from high school through college into corporate America designing for some of the biggest brands that we know and love. Now that she’s moved to a smaller town, how she uses her skill set...

In this episode, Alex came on for a little solo sesh to talk about the things that she’s learned after officially having The Groovy Shack shop open for three months. With an extensive background in retail, she shared some things that she was expecting, and some things that were a bit of a surprise to her now being the shop owner versus just an hourly employee. If you’re someone who’s been thinking...

In this episode Brooke (one of the owners of Tallowme Moore), came on to talk about what exactly tallow is. Why their products stand out, quality control, knowing where your ingredients come from, shelf stability, growing their business through markets and retailers and so much more! This business has allowed these parents to he home with their daughter full time and to not miss any of those big m...

After nearly a decade of professionally creating community, I wanted to come on and share tips and tricks and ways that I both created and found community. From Southern California to Northern California, in big cities and small, internationally, and close to home - this is a little inspiration (and maybe a little bit of homework) that will help you find your people. This speaks to those who want...

In this episode with Joey, we sat down and talked about his music career which didn’t start until he was in college in his 20s. We talked about songwriting, the creative process, building a team, touring and so much more! If you live in the Tuolumne County area, odds are that you’ve heard him and his band perform live. Their performances are full of energy, full of laughter and often times will ha...

In this episode, I had my dear friend Chelsey on to talk about her wild health journey. Chelsey and I have known each other since we work together at Dayo when I was in high school and it has been such a joy watching her completely excel at her career as an amazing hairstylist. But during that time, she’s also battled seizures, breast, cancer, a stroke, and so much more… Which truly caused her to...

In this conversationwith Miss Hazel, we talked about life is an eight-year-old, magic, friendship, and so much more. When I had her mom Tiffany on the podcast, a little bit after it aired she texted me and let me know that her 8 year old daughter Hazel really wanted to come on as a guest! She has a dream of being a YouTuber, creator, and veterinarian. So we decided that we had to make her dream co...

If you have spent a lot of time in downtown Sonora, odds are that you’ve run into Sydney. We’ve lovingly dubbed her the Mayor of Main Street and her story is absolutely incredible. When she was 11, she was in a biking accident while not wearing a helmet and hit a semi trailer, fell down a hill, and hit her head on a rock. She ended up being rushed to the hospital, life flighted out for intensive c...

In this episode I sit down with Brittany Camara who explains her journey becoming a surrogate. She is currently 22 weeks pregnant with a sweet mamas baby, and she shared her heart and why she felt so passionately about helping families get the baby they so desperately want. As a mama of 2, wife, daughter, and person who has easy pregnancies and births (lucky duck!!!) she walks us through the proce...

For this episode I sat down with Morgan Rain - Executive Director of CalPride Sierras, which is a non-profit who creates resources, community gatherings, and so much more for not only the LGBTQ+ folks, but also anyone else who may need their help. You may have known this organization as LGBTQ Rural; and Morgan talked us through the change in name and about how CalPride overall is a much bigger org...

In this episode with Talia we talked about how a small crafting project turned into a side hustle… which then turned into a full time career!! You’re gonna love this story and how relatable her journey has been as a stay at home mama who still wanted to do something outside of raising little humans! Her family has supported her and encouraged her every step of the way - and now you can see her at...

In this episode I sat down with Kayla Eckstein whose the owner and creator of Cove Collective - a new salon in Downtown Sonora where she puts an emphasis on community, accepting people as they are, and creating education opportunities for not only the stylists in her salon, but for stylists anywhere who want to learn and grow and hone their skills. She talked about her creative journey, how she kn...

In the episode I had Joslyne Wrede, one of the co-owners of Black Bomb Entertainment, on the podcast to talk about their journey that lead to them opening a goth cafe and community gathering space in Downtown Sonora! We talked how Joslyn’s met her husband, metal music, nourishing foods, creating a space that was accepting and welcoming, hot sauce, merch, pop ups and more! This is a great peek into...

In this conversation with Briana we chatted about her journey and connecting to her ancestral roots, tuning in to where she came from and the people before her, trusting her intuition to guide her in life and in motherhood, gardening, connecting with the earth and so much more!! This is a beautiful conversation, talking about her transition back to our small mountain town after spending years away...