WNC Heartbeat Podcast

What does it look like to grow up with your hands in the soil, your heart in the mountains, and a community rallying around you? In this episode, co-hosts Anna Rose and Ali sit down with Misty Varnell (4-H Extension Agent, Madison County NC) and the Carter family — mom Shanna and teen participant Ace — to pull back the curtain on one of rural America's most enduring youth programs.   From dairy ju...

In this episode, Susan Garrett of WNC Communities discusses the critical role community centers play in building trust, resilience, and long-term sustainability in rural Western North Carolina. A powerful conversation on listening-led leadership, local investment, and strengthening communities from the ground up. 🎧 Watch the full conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/iLm0MB8-B2k

In this episode of WNC HeartBEAT, we sit down with Bill Downey for a clear, behind-the-scenes conversation about how tourism actually functions in Madison County, North Carolina. Bill plays a key role in local tourism strategy through the Tourism Development Authority, and he brings valuable clarity to a topic that often feels opaque to residents, business owners, and community leaders alike. We d...

In this episode of WNC HeartBEAT , we’re joined by Marisha MacMorran , Executive Director of The Food Connection , to unpack how food rescue operates across Western North Carolina and why it has become a critical component of hunger relief in rural and mountain communities. Marisha shares the origin of The Food Connection, how their team rescues surplus fresh and prepared foods from farms, grocery...

Madison County, NC is facing a growing challenge: limited food access, long travel distances, and barriers that leave many families struggling to meet basic needs. In this powerful interview, we sit down with Ashly and Matt from the MadCo Food Coalition to discuss the realities of food insecurity in rural Western North Carolina — and what it truly takes to build sustainable, community-driven solut...

Pre-order the book: Madison County, NC - Vol 01: Spring Creek https://www.millionmemoryproject.org/spring-creek 8th-generation Madison County ballad singer Donna Ray Norton joins WNC HeartBEAT to explore how music preserves family history and why the Appalachian Memory Project (AMP) is gathering oral histories across Western North Carolina. Donna Ray traces her lineage in Sodom Laurel, reflects on...

In this episode of WNC HeartBEAT, hosts Anna Robas and Ali Tisdall talk with Alice McVey, one of the driving forces behind the new Spring Creek Office for Rural Economic Development (SCORED!). Alice shares how years of community collaboration, grant partnerships, and vision turned a rural school building into a modern business hub — complete with coworking spaces, private offices, tele-health boot...

In the folds of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a quiet revolution is underway. What was once a forgotten schoolhouse in Spring Creek, North Carolina, is becoming something extraordinary — a living, breathing heartbeat of a rural community reinventing itself. In this episode, hosts Ali Tisdall and Anna Robas pull back the curtain on what it really takes to bring new life to an old place — where grit, vi...

When Hurricane Helene struck Hot Springs, NC, it wasn’t just the streets and homes that were washed away — entire memories were at risk of being lost. In this powerful WNC HeartBEAT episode, host Ali Tisdall sits down with Kevin Reese, community organizer and founder of Rebuild Hot Springs, to uncover how a town rebuilt itself one story at a time. Kevin recounts the day Helene overtook Bridge Stre...

In this episode of WNC Heartbeat , Barbie and Ed Johnson share the incredible story of Mission Sheds. What began in Western North Carolina as a way to help families after disaster has grown into a worldwide volunteer movement. From the first shed delivered in Marshall to global teams of helpers, Mission Sheds shows how ordinary people can create extraordinary impact. To help support Mission Sheds,...

Among the ridges and valleys of Western North Carolina, the land doesn’t just shape the view — it shapes the people. In our debut episode of WNC Heartbeat , Ali and Anna peel back the layers of small-town resilience, where every story holds both beauty and hardship. ✨ In this episode, you’ll hear: The night Hurricane Helene changed everything — and the unexpected place where neighbors gathered. H...