the weekly seattle

"The return on investment for silent auctions is usually pretty bad. Less is more with fundraisers." For the second to last episode, Rachel discusses her own area of business expertise: corporate events. She is joined by the hosts of the Better Events Pod and fellow events business owners Logan Clements and Mary Davidson. They cover why planning windows keep shrinking, which budget lines clients f...

Rachel and her friends attempt to explain the news after a few drinks. AND we reveal a very big announcement about the podcast... Top Stories: 1. Bankruptcies: ⁠Getty Images ⁠ & ⁠Picklr⁠ 2. ⁠Little Red Hen court update⁠ 3. 2 Costco lawsuits: ⁠tequila⁠ & ⁠emails⁠ Guests : Elianor Williamson - Senior Project Manager, Starbucks Sarah Donaldson - Director of Sales Planning, SkinnyDipped About...

We're back to the OG format and our guest Shauna Swerland gives us an inside look at the nuances of the job market right now. While we are seeing mass layoffs, she says it's more like a reshuffling, with companies hiring more selectively and prioritizing AI experience, security and data infrastructure roles. She also explains why resume fraud is on the rise, including candidates applying from over...

We're getting back into business news! The host of KUOW's Seattle Now podcast Trish Murphy and producer Vaughan Jones break down the top stories with Rachel. Seattle's business leaders are pressing Mayor Wilson on two fronts: a struggling business economy and public safety. The Puget Sound lost jobs in 2025 for the first time in decades, and unemployment sits above the national average at 5.2%. Ch...

The former General Counsel and Executive Advisor to the CEO of Starbucks joins us to share the behind-the-scenes of her experience navigating the Philadelphia crisis of 2018, what it was like getting Howard Schultz ready to testify in front of Congress in 2023, and her advice for other businesses experiencing unionization. We also talk about lessons learned from starting her own business. About gu...

During the World Cup a record high of 83,000 rides were made on a Lime device in Seattle. In this episode we talk to the Director of Government Relations for Lime on how his team prepared for this event, why Lime is able to be the sole provider in Seattle, and we address the serious safety concerns that comes along with this industry. About guest: Hayden Harvey (he/him), Director, Government Relat...

We love our local markets, but what is it like operating them? This episode unpacks how a small operator competes against Amazon, Walmart, and Costco without competing on price. We talk about why Ken's walked away from Instacart, tariff pressure on imported wine, and the deliberate decision to skip self-checkout service. Top Stories: 1. Tech layoffs ( Zillow , Google , Salesforce ) 2. Ex-Pokemon d...

How long does it take to publish a book? How much money do you actually make? Do you have any control over the marketing? On this special episode we go behind-the-scenes with Laura Marie Meyers who shares what it was like to publish her first novel THE MASH UP. We talk about the art of storytelling, real business advice for first time authors, and of course, our favorite memories at USD. Thank you...

In this special episode Erica takes us behind the scenes of co-founding an independent political news outlet and podcast. Then dives into the state of Seattle's city council & Mayor, the fight over doubling the transportation tax, the stalled Ballard light rail line, and the collapse of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. It's a lot to cover, but Erica breaks it all down so you're...

Joining Rachel in her living room is friend Sarah Donaldson, Director of Sales Planning at SkinnyDipped, back for her second appearance on the pod. They cover Queer/Bar's ownership change, Seattle's surpising decline in flights, a labor dispute at a beloved Seattle restaurant group, Bed Bath & Beyond's return, and a very eventful night on Lake Union. Top Stories: 1. Queer Bar sells to The Cuff...

In this special episode the former Chief Economist for Windermere comes back to the podcast to give us an update on our economy. He helps us make sense of an economy that's growing but "running a bit rough," what's really behind Seattle's wave of tech layoffs, and why buyers and sellers are at a standoff in today's housing market. We also get his take on Seattle's housing bill 1100, and his predic...

In this special episode we talk to Pete Hanning, Executive Director of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, about the construction that has taken place over for the past year. We dig into the Route 40 project: what was promised, what went wrong, and how an afternoon getting beers resulted in a major change. Thank you for hosting us Charlie's Queer Books ! About guest Pete Hanning - Executive Director,...

Rachel is back on the mic! She recaps her recent work travels and, as always, updates you on the news of the week. Top Stories: 1. Ben & Jerry's coming to the waterfront 2. Melinda French Gates joins Kraken ownership group 3. Data center potentially coming to Bed Bath & Beyond space downtown 4. Sound Transit pushes aside Ballard line About host Rachel Horgan: Rachel is an independent event...

Seattle’s restaurant scene has seen waves of changes as the local economy, legal landscape, and consumer tastes have evolved. This week, Nick Patri fills in as host while Rachel is traveling for work, and interviews Zach Geballe, writer and podcast co-host at VinePair. Zach was previously the wine director for Tom Douglas Restaurants and spent two decades in Seattle's hospitality industry, and bri...

With all these tech layoffs, should we get into the trades? We're pulling back the curtain on the trades industry with two leaders from one of the Pacific Northwest's fastest-growing home services companies. The CEO and COO share how they scaled Harts from a Gig Harbor garage to 150+ employees, why they built their own apprenticeship academy, and what tariffs and rising utility costs actually mean...

Pete Nordstrom, Co-CEO of Nordstrom joins Rachel for a deep dive into the business behind one of Seattle's most iconic brands. They cover what it really takes to run a fourth-generation family business, the inside story of Nordstrom's long road to going private, and the future of retail. Pete also gets candid about the state of downtown Seattle retail, what Nordstrom is doing to stay invested in t...

If your conference agenda has back-to-back sessions with 10-minute breaks, you may be actively working against your own objectives. This week, Rachel sits down with event wellness strategist David T. Stevens live at the Northwest Event Show for a conversation on why wellness at events is actually business strategy. David breaks down his Four M's framework: mindfulness, movement, meals, and meaning...

We're back!! After two weeks on the road, Rachel and friend of the pod Nick Patri are back in the studio to catch you up on what you've missed in the news cycle and in their personal lives. Top Stories: 1. Millionaires Tax explained 2. New light rail: Crosslake Connection (Line 2) 3. Starbucks: Chatgpt partnership , layoffs , and employees going to Nashville 4. New Apple CEO 5. Tomboyx CEO reclaim...

This week we talk about why marketers often make better CEOs than CFOs, what companies get wrong when marketing to younger generations, and why focus groups can actually kill creative. We also talk about the future of membership organizations in both Seattle and nationally. Top Stories: 1. AAA Washington - what actually is it? 2. Brooks Running to sponsor the Mariners salmon race + Let Keta Run in...

This week we pull back the curtain on the business side of healthcare: how hospitals actually make money, why our bills are high yet hospitals are doing layoffs, and what it was like to step into the CEO role as an interim first. Dr. Elizabeth Wako, President & CEO of Swedish Health Services, also shares how a simple idea in the delivery room dropped C-section rates for women of color from 44%...

This week we're talking all about the banking industry with former CEO and current Vice Chair of Wells Fargo Commercial Banking. Mary Knell shares a jaw-dropping fraud story that cost a local company millions mid-deal, gives her honest take on what small businesses are up against right now, and her opinion on the what the Sonics returning could do for our economy. All of this and your top news sto...

We're talking about how the workforce is changing and what that means for Seattle. In this episode we talk about why 40% of the American workforce is now freelance and will be 50% by 2027. We talk about how to find your first clients, what companies get wrong about blended teams, and why the "stability" of a W-2 job might be a myth. We also dig into the data on women leaving the workforce and what...

This week we're talking about everything happening in downtown Seattle with the President and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association. Jon shares the latest data on downtown recovery, plus what's coming next, including a $50 million investment in parks and changes to 3rd Ave. We also dive into how Seattle is preparing for FIFA 2026 with 700,000 expected visitors, watch parties across downtown, and...

It's guys night at Rachel's house for the 100th episode AND 2 year anniversary! The very first episode was recorded at her house with Alex Halverson, so we felt it was only right to return to the living room with him. We recap the top business news stories and then at the end we bring in Nick Patri, audio engineer for the podcast and Rob Smith, the 3rd guest on the pod, to reflect on the past two...

We're talking about what it takes to build a media company from scratch, sell it, and figure out what comes next. We also dig into AI bias and why the data these tools are trained on matters, especially for underrepresented communities. Our guest Sherrell Dorsey founded The Plug, a tech news platform covering the Black innovation economy that became the first Black-owned publication syndicated on...