Uncorked with Funny Wine Girl

Funny Wine Girl Jeannine isn't always funny. In fact, she's rather dark, quite a bit. She may like her wines on the lighter side, but that's not how she likes all of her stories to be.   Here's a teaser of a spooky story Jeannine had written especially for podcast listeners.  She will share the full story on October 27. Hope you'll tune in to learn what happens to Catherine! 

My highlight on local talent and gems in northeastern Pennsylvania continues this week as I speak with Lackawanna County romance author Cecelia Mecca about her recent trip to Italy, how it influenced her and where she finds inspiration for her novels.  Cecelia, who writes historical romance novels under her name Cecelia Mecca, also writes modern-day romances under the pen name Bella Michaels...

Thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, an exciting project is taking place to help tell Scranton's Story.  And as a proud Scrantonian, I'm thrilled to be able to share the details with you! “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story”  explores the aspirational journey to fulfill our national ideals through the lens of Scranton, Pennsylvania, an iconic American city...

Continuing on the topic of local history in northeastern Pennsylvania, my guest this week is writer, historian and passionate Italian American Stephanie Longo.  We talk about her family connection to Guardia Lombardi, unsavory stereotypes about Italians, and how Stephanie and others in Lackawanna County can celebrate Italian American Heritage Month in October.    Check out the podca...

A chill is in the air. Leaves are beginning to fall. And it's almost time to head to the cemetery to hear stories from the graves of some pretty colorful people from Lackawanna County.  Join me this week as I talk with repeat guest Julie Esty, an NEPA historian, actor, and all-around colorful gal who leads her group of fantastic actors, the Dearly Departed Players, in the annual Dunmore Cemet...

It's hard to summarize my podcast conversations with Gab Bonesso because they are so vivid and cover so many topics of life. In this week's episode, Gab and I share childhood memories of birthdays; we talk about her upcoming comedy album and mental health advocacy presentations, what triggers her and the importance of exercise that we share for our mental well-being. Follow Gab Bonesso on all the...

On this week's podcast I'm speaking with Katelyn McManamon, Special Projects Coordinator at the University of Scranton's Small Business Development Center, about the incredible six-week program for women interested in changing their lives and learning more about entrepreneurship. The program is free but women who are interested do need to complete an application. The next session begins on Septemb...

I'm just days away from my 51st birthday on September 3. So of course I'm reflecting, celebrating an having more than a couple laughs (and wine glasses) with my dear friend (and frequent podcast guest) Oliver Ord (Ollie).  If you like sitting at a little coffee house and catching snippets of conversation from people at nearby tables, I think you'll enjoy this week's podcast.  Ollie and I...

Throughout the month of August you have had the opportunity to hear from amazing women speaking on the theme of education. This week might feel like a bit of departure but I believe it is important to educate people on the value of laughter and what the heck laughter yoga really is.  I've been offering it through my business Laugh to Live! since 2006 but it still needs a bit more explanation....

As we make our way through August and many prepare to head back to school, I continue the education theme with this week's conversation with Valerie Cerra from lesson aLive , (https://www.lessonalive.com/) an online platform that connects experts with educators who want to bring exciting real-world experiences to the classroom. I've had firsthand experience on this platform as a marketing expert l...

Even though my guest and I enjoyed some laughs over some of life's ridiculousness and some commonalities, this week's episode explores probably the most serious topic yet that has been discussed on Uncorked with Funny Wine Girl. We're talking about school shootings.    It was my pleasure to have as my guest, Amye Archer, the co-editor of  If I Don’t Make It, I Love You: Survivors in...

As a kid, I always associated August with the end of summer and back-to-school time. I would get excited about shopping for school shoes and supplies like notebooks and Trapper Keepers--in large part because I attended Catholic School and wore a uniform so my biggest wardrobe choices were what color oxford shirt and knee socks to wear. So it's only fitting that I schedule guests for the month of A...

After a short summer hiatus, Uncorked with Funny Wine Girl is back with two fabulous femme guests!  Anjanatte and Shyla are two of the four owners of High Priestess Pole Studio in downtown Scranton.     These women are helping other women tap into parts of themselves like sexiness, confidence, strength, power and much more through pole fitness--something that has been in the Sc...

As the summer is really heating up, I'm trying to keep my cool...literally and figuratively!  In this minisode I'm happy to share what's coming up in the weeks ahead when full episodes return.  I share the details of my one-year anniversary contest "Show Us Your 'Mug' and You Could Win a Mug." And, I give a recap of my trip to Bethel Woods this week to see a concert. In case you're wonde...

I'm amid a three-week break from airing full podcast episodes but I can't help myself. I just have to record some thoughts to share with you. What can I say? I love to communicate. Okay, okay. I overcommunicate, but at least I am aware of it, right?!   In this week's check-in, I share moments from my life involving expletives flying--this time on stage rather than in my car or at my laptop--o...

This is a short message to let you know that I am taking a break from creating full episodes for a few weeks but I shall return with a full episode on July 28.

Ciao bellas! This week my guest is friend, author and editorial client Tina Gallagher.  Tina took a breather in between traveling internationally to talk about her recent trip to Tuscany and how it provided her with an opportunity to be inspired by other writers and the beautiful sunsets. Before jetting off to her next writers' gathering in London, Tina shared what spicy stories we can expect...

During the month of June on my podcast, I've been talking about fun summertime memories and things to do here in Northeastern PA and Scranton in particular. One of my favorite pastimes is to kayak at the Lackawanna State Park but I love the State Park for walking, hiking and running as well (in all seasons).   We try to pack a lot of fun in the summertime when the weather is warm, but it's im...

Last week I talked about my memories of summertime favorites like going to church picnics, going for ice cream in my PJs and my trips to our local drive-in, The Circle Drive-In Theater . This week we're picking up on the outdoor movie theme and broadening to a variety of things you can do to appreciate the Scranton area and entire county.   My guest this week is Mary Ann Savakinus, executive...

What are some of your favorite childhood memories from summertime? Do they include trips to your local drive-in theater? Fishing at the lake? Playing games at church picnics or county fairs?  This week on Uncorked with Funny Wine Girl, I am sans guest. I'm sharing some of my memories from summertime and offering ideas of ways you can unplug and have fun in Northeast PA. If you like drive-in t...

Northeastern Pennsylvania is home to many gems. We have incredible architecture, beautiful parks and trails, numerous attractions and activities and amazing people who give of themselves to make this region a great place to live. You'll get to meet some of those people on my podcast this week as we talk about the upcoming NEPA Gives Day on June 3 and The Ritz Foundation --a  nonprofit focused...

As we come to the end of the month of May, I am finishing this series about "growth" with a young woman who I have seen grow from a shy student to a poised young professional navigating her way through New York City.  Meet Megan Esty, a graduate of the University of Scranton who has played every role on both sides of the theater curtain and after working very hard, she has sized up the job of...

Wow! It's been one year since I began this podcast, Uncorked with Funny Wine Girl, and I'm so excited, that I'm a bit tipsy.   My dear friend and first podcast episode guest Oliver, turns the tables on me to ask me the questions this time.   We talk about why I started the podcast and so much more (as usual). The wine may have affected my answers a bit, but please know that it'...

This week on Uncorked with Funny Wine Girl we're sprouting more great conversation on the topic of growth with my guest Donna Nelson, Holistic Empowerment Coach.  At times I felt like Donna was a sister from another mister because we connected on some similar ideas and experiences about learning who we are and growing away from values that were not our own but created a sense of duty from fam...

So Mother Nature did not cooperate with the organizers of the SouthSide Farmers Market in Scranton for their big outdoor opening of the market on May 7th. Due to the rain, a number of vendors were unable to attend; the band did not play and the giveaways and raffles were put on hold.  Because of that delay, I am replaying last week's podcast episode to get you amped up for this Saturday, May...