Westwood Living Podcast Network

Tom Leyden and Asanka Moehring chat from the front porch of the Westwood Public Library. Asanka Moehring and her family were featured on the cover of the December issue of Westwood Living. She and her husband, Marquis, do a fantastic job raising two neurodiverse children and Asanka has been incredibly instrumental in the development of a program offered through the Westwood Recreation department....

Tom Leyden and Kristen Bender Daaboul chat from the Muffin House in Westwood. Kristen Bender Daaboul is the owner of two businesses - Raha Home and Kadeema Rentals - regularly mixing a combination of design and architecture into her daily routines. Kristen talks about her upbringing in Nebraska, the education that crafted her expertise in design and how she's brought those skills to the growth of...

Tom Leyden and Brittany Tucker connect at Casa Loca Mexican Cantina in Westwood. Brittany Tucker is the Regional General Manager of the Wellesley Restaurant Group and General Manager of Casa Loca Cantina on University Avenue. They chat about the items that are big hits on the menu and how Casa Loca uses a draft margarita system to generate the most consistent, delicious margs in the region! Casa L...

Tom Leyden chats with Joe Previtera about his bid for election to the Westwood Select Board

Tom Leyden chats with Michael Walsh about his campaign for re-election to the Westwood Select Board

Tom Leyden connects with former state champion and three-time national champion Kristen Kjellman Marshall. Kristen is widely regarded as one of the most talented and successful American women to ever play lacrosse. After leading Westwood to its first of ten state championships, in 2003, Kristen went on to lead Northwestern to three national championships in 2005, 2006 and 2007. During the '06 and...

Tom Leyden catches up with Hania Khuri-Trapper, who shared the cover of the November issue of Westwood Living with her husband, Chris, and their dog, Marley. Hania was born in Lebanon and moved to the United States with her family when she was very young. The Khuris settled in Westwood in the early 70s and Hania attended the Westwood Public Schools before heading to Syracuse. After college, Hania...

Tom Leyden chats with Amanda Phillips about her candidacy for re-election to the Westwood School Committee. Learn more about Amanda at amanda4westwood.com

Tom Leyden chats with JoAnna French about her candidacy for Westwood School Committee. Learn more about JoAnna at joannaforwestwood.com

Tom Leyden chats with Tom Themistocles about his candidacy for Westwood School Committee. Learn more about Tom at votetom4westwood.com

PJ Vande Rydt and Bill Crabtree have dedicated themselves to the development of young football talent, building the Mass Elite Football program, together, to be one of the top talent producers in the US. Their long line of alums have enjoyed success not only in high school, but in college at the Division 1, 2 and 3 levels. Tom Leyden chats with PJ and Bill about how Mass Elite got started, how thi...

Domenic Esposito's story was our cover feature for the September issue of Westwood Living. After a successful career in finance, Dom turned his attention to sculpture and painting and has become one the top sculpters in the United States. His shift of focus to art was almost as unforeseen as his shift to becoming a spokesperson in the war against opioids. In 2018, he raised awareness of the pharma...

I wanted to spend some time detailing our family's journey over the past month as we said goodbye to our Mom, Rita Leyden, acknowledging the many gifts we've received, spiritually and physically, from friends and family near and far. Death, grief and celebration take us on an unpredictable journey of emotion, faith and fortitude. So much happens so soon, it's sometimes difficult to rightfully ackn...

Tom Leyden and Mike Tinsley chat at the dining room table in the Tinsley house. Mike Tinsley, a Westwood resident, is the founder of The Tinsley Team, a part of Longwood Residential. Mike and his team works with buyers and sellers, guiding them through the real estate process and providing expert advice. He also is the presenting sponsor of The Tinsley Team Standout Student of The Month feature in...

Tom Leyden catches up with Erin Hayes and Maureen Grealish from Woodland Road Design at the Westwood Public Library. Erin and Maureen are partners at Woodland Road Design, working together to develop new visions and creations for many clients in the region. Combining their skills, they focus on connecting with their clients and truly understanding their wishes before helping them with an interior...

Tom Leyden catches up Lisa Ponte, who was featured on the cover of the July Issue of Westwood Living. Lisa is the founder of LP Vibes and has made an incredible impact over the last two years through her inspirational Affirmation Cards. Lisa shared her personal journey in a very revealing and honest way in an effort to normalize the conversation surrounding mental health and motivate people to be...

Tom Leyden and Debrorah Bondzie chat from the offices of Bondzie Law in Canton. Deborah Bondzie, Esq. is our Expert Contributor in Real Estate Law in Westwood Living. Deborah has been in practice for 10 years and serves a wide range of clients, focusing mainly on real estate transactions. Her journey to owning her own practice is uplifting and was inspired by some unique experiences she had earlie...

Tom Leyden and Ian Brown catch up from the headquarters of Ian Brown Land Design in Walpole. Ian Brown is a Westwood native and graduate of Westwood High School. He started landscaping and land design work when he was a teenager and has steadily built his business over the course of over three decades. Ian Brown Land Design was officially incorporated in 2006 and Ian's company has earned a reputat...

Tom Leyden and Dr. Peter Kevorkian chat from the offices of Westwood Family Chiropractic. Anyone who has interacted with Dr. Peter Kevorkian understands his mission is to guide his patients through a lifetime of wellness, in all phases of their lives. One of the world's most well-respected chiropractors, Dr. Kevorkian regularly offers keynote presentations and is a featured speaker at seminars aro...

Tom Leyden chats with David White from the offices of GEICO in Needham. David White owns and operates the first GEICO office ever opened in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, overseeing a staff of employees who work with clients every day insuring autos, homes, property and more. During the conversation, David spoke specifically about the new high-value home protection GEICO is offering to Massach...

Tom Leyden and Jason Baetzhold chat from the Westwood Wegmans on University Avenue. Jason Baetzhold is the Area Manager for the Westwood Wegmans. He's been with Wegmans for 16 years, starting as a cashier in Rochester, NY and advancing to a number of different jobs in Massachusetts. He took over as Area Manager in October and focuses on community engagement and initiatives. Tom and Jason discuss t...

Tom Leyden chats with Lauren Watson at The Muffin House. Lauren Watson is the owner and operator of Watson College Consulting, providing counsel and guidance for parents and students as they consider their next steps after high school. This conversation touches on so many important topics including when kids should really start thinking about the college search, the resources they can use as a gui...

Tom Leyden chats with Theresa David from the offices of Gibson Sotheby's International Realty in Westwood. Theresa is a Westwood resident who has been a licensed Realtor since 1988. She and her husband, Stephen, have five children, three of whom went through the Westwood school system after the David's moved to town. Tom and Theresa get caught up on her background, her path to real estate, what sh...

Tom Leyden and Ian Price chat from the Westwood Public Library Ian Price is a Westwood resident and author of the book, "Dystopia's Edge," a cyber-punk Western, set in the year 2121. "It's like Robocop if it were a book." Tom and Ian discuss the book's storyline, how and why Ian was motivated to write, his process of writing and what he's learned about self-publishing. You can learn more about the...

Tom Leyden and Dr. Kurt Hofmann chat from the Cedar House. Dr. Kurt Hofmann, MD, is among the elite staff at the Boston Sports & Shoulder Center who will be contributing on a regular basis to Westwood Living. Dr. Hofmann, a Walpole resident, specializes in ankle and foot care and has performed hundreds of surgeries throughout his career. A graduate of Fairfield Prep, Holy Cross and Tufts Medical S...