The People You Meet in Old Town

Host Jane Khodos Beyer welcomes novelist and former journalist Susan Gregg Gilmore to The People You Meet in Old Town Alexandria Podcast to discuss Gilmore’s career pivot from freelance journalism (including the LA Times and Christian Science Monitor) to fiction writing at 40 with no prior fiction experience. Gilmore describes her messy, scene-based drafting process, finding inspiration in everyda...

Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House Task Force for FIFA World Cup 2026, sits down with host Jane Khodos Beyer to pull back the curtain on the most complex security and logistics operation in American sports history. From his days playing golf at Duke to serving in the Trump White House and running for governor of New York, Andrew's path to leading the federal effort behind a 48-...

Rachel Moon, founder of Remedy Speech Therapy, joins The People You Meet in Old Town podcast to share her journey from early intervention specialist to private practice owner. Rachel breaks down what speech-language pathology covers, from articulation disorders and language delays to autism and stuttering, and offers practical guidance for parents of young children. Rachel walks us through key dev...

Amanda Mertins, co-owner of Patina Polished Living , Old Town Alexandria’s beloved home goods and interior design shop,  joins The People You Meet in Old Town podcast to talk about a life spent making spaces feel like home. From setting the table at elementary school dinner parties and rearranging furniture in her tiny bedroom, to building a thriving retail and design business alongside her partne...

Marie Bucoy-Calavan, the Artistic Director of the Choral Arts Society of Washington , joins The People You Meet in Old Town podcast to share her remarkable journey from a Filipino immigrant household to the conductor's podium at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. Marie recounts how parental pressure to pursue medicine or law gave way to a deep love of music, and how a mentor's belief in her at...

Ever wondered what's actually on that two-mile-long train rolling through town? Chriss Nielsen has spent 30 years as a freight rail economist and she ended up there entirely by accident. In this episode, she breaks down how goods move across America, why your Amazon package probably crossed three states by rail, and what AI might mean for driverless trains. Then Chriss shares her other passion: At...

In this episode of People You Meet in Old Town Alexandria, host Jane Khodos Beyer sits down with Anne Metcalf—lobbyist, architectural enthusiast, historic home restorer, and author of Old Town At Home. Together, they explore the rich stories behind Old Town’s iconic homes, from centuries-old construction techniques to the surprising discoveries hidden within their walls. Anne shares her personal j...

Host Jane Khodos Beyer sits down with Chaz Cirame, founder of Big Fish Recruiting, who specializes in placing top talent in public affairs, public policy, and communications. Chaz shares why LinkedIn applications are basically a black hole, why a handwritten thank-you note is still the ultimate power move, and how AI-generated cover letters are backfiring on candidates in ways they don't expect. Y...

Heather Penney, an Old Town Alexandria resident, former U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter pilot , and Director of Studies at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, joins The People You Meet in Old Town podcast to share the full arc of her remarkable career. Penney recounts growing up around aviation, becoming part of the first generation of women in combat aviation, and what it was like to train...

An introduction to the podcast The People You Meet in Old Town.