Send us a text

Alex Csedrik received his Bachelor’s degree in English from DeSales University, where he won the 2008 Creative Writing Fiction Award. He also graduated from Montclair State University with a Master’s degree in English and was awarded his MFA in creative writing fiction from Fairleigh Dickinson University. In his free time, he wears many different hats—partially to cover up his bald head. He's a former college professor, stand-up comedian, and was the Dewey Beach Marketing Committee Chairperson. His short story collection, Mars is for Millennials, will have its second edition released April 26, 2025. 

Send us a text

Meet The Bridgets, a dynamic duo who turned their personal experiences into a powerful mission: Shine A Light On Stroke. After facing the challenges of stroke recovery through their patients firsthand, they founded their nonprofit to provide education, support, and financial assistance to those affected by stroke. With a deep commitment to raising awareness and creating a supportive community, they shine a light on a topic that’s often overlooked. Whether it's holding local events, Triumph Thursday on social media, or partnering with local businesses, The Bridgets are here to make a difference—one stroke survivor at a time. Tune in as they share stories, expert advice, and the heart behind their mission! 

Send us a text

Matt Rotuno is the owner of Mosquito & Pest Authority, with 13 years of experience in the pest control industry. He is passionate about serving his clients and community, he takes pride in providing top-tier pest solutions with a personal touch. A longtime Delaware resident, Matt is dedicated to giving back and making a positive impact. Each year, he hosts a BackPack Drive, supplying over 350 kids with essential school supplies. 

Send us a text

Discover the enchanting world of The Brimming Horn Meadery, born from a 20-year dream of history and fermentation. Founded by Jon Talkington and his business partner Robert Walker, Jr., they are dedicated to crafting unique and tantalizing meads inspired by Northern European mythology. their meadery is not just about sampling delicious beverages; it's a celebration of a lifestyle and a passion for rich traditions.

Send us a text

Cosmic Dog Farm; a micro farm that is out of this world! They are a Delaware-based operation co-owned by Christian Coody and Jena Murray. Christian, originally from Louisiana, brings extensive experience in vegetable and cannabis cultivation from Colorado, showcasing his commitment to agricultural innovation. Jena, a Delaware native, combines her hands-on expertise in animal husbandry with professional insights gained from working on local farms, ensuring a strong foundation for their mission of excellence in farming.

https://www.cosmicdogfarm.com/

Send us a text

Rachel Rohm is Kent County Tourism's Visitor Services Manager and President of the Dover Days Celebration Committee. She is often seen in and around Dover educating her family and friends about Delaware history, enjoying a little treat, or attending a local concert. In addition to participating in perhaps too many hobbies, Rachel is also the proud owner of a dog named Charlie who thinks she is the Guardian of the Green.

Old Dover Days is a free event in Downtown Dover taking place the first weekend in May.

Send us a text

From Cancer to growth in the garden. Patrick has journeyed from something terrible to two thriving businesses. All thanks to his wife's perseverance and a garden. 

Send us a text

Send us a text

MF Heat Co. is a Delaware company that creates culinary focused fermented small batch hot sauce. What started as a passion project during the pandemic, MF Heat Co. quickly became a fan favorite among friends and family who were gifted sauce, and after months of begging Mike Frank made it legit in 2023.

Based out of Milton, Delaware MF Heat Co. cooks sauce out of the Sussex Kitchen Delaware, a food business incubator located in Southern Delaware. You can find MF and Tim slinging and selling sauce at farmers markets and excellent events across the state.

Mike Frank
He puts the MF in MF Heat Co. (what did you think it stood for?) Mike is not only our namesake, but an engineer turned chef who creates and cooks every single sauce we sell. Taking every opportunity, Mike focuses our flavors on being culinary forward, having a dish or type of cuisine in mind for each sauce he cooks.

Tim Auman
Every great product needs someone to sell it, although Tim might claim a great sauce sells itself. When he's not behind a camera or pushing out social posts, you'll find Tim busy in the hot sauce kitchen with MF, chopping peppers and hand capping every single bottle of sauce.


NOTE: There is dimmer audio for the first minute and eleven seconds

Send us a text

Wendy, an award-winning fantasy, and sci-fi author began writing at five and completed her first novel by fourteen. Inspired by Ray Bradbury, her Tales from the Riven Isles series includes Tinderbox, Tarotmancer, The Hatter’s Daughter coming soon, and Steelbound sold on proposal. Critics compare her work to N.K. Jemisin, L. Penelope, and Sarah J. Maas.

Send us a text

Catherine Jenkins is the Marketing & Communications Manager for Kent County Tourism. A recent graduate of the Leadership Central Delaware program, Class of 2024 and Secretary on the Board of Directors for MATPRA (Mid-Atlantic Tourism & Public Relations Alliance). She is passionate about brand development, the travel industry, and promoting all things Kent County. In her free time, she likes to read and explore with her dog, Finnegan.

*This episode was recorded before the election, so the views and participation in the election may have changed at the time of the recording.

Send us a text

Courtney, the owner of Dirty Blonde Delaware, is a small town local. She has worked her way from an assistant job to owning her own salon and traveling across the country doing hair. In May 2024, she launched a hair line with Idle Hand Collective to use at festivals. Listen now to her story of growing up in Delaware and her exciting journey in the hair industry. 

Send us a text

Anastasia Jackson is a Delaware native who firmly believes that Delaware is the best place to work, live, and raise a family. With its tight-knit community and strong sense of belonging, Delaware has always been home to Anastasia. She has recently completed leadership development through central delaware chamber of commerce. She has a passion for continuous education and being of support and making an impact in her local community. 

Send us a text

Leo and Carolyn, originally from Minnesota, have found a new home in Dover, Delaware. Leo boasts a strong background in management, while Carolyn is a dynamic entrepreneur. After achieving significant success in Arizona’s real estate market, Carolyn ventured into a new business, establishing a Crumbl franchise in Dover.

Send us a text

 Kevin Bradshaw is an advertising expert with over 20+ years of experience in media and communications. An avid reader, sports enthusiast, artist, history buff, fan of science fiction, hip hop and pop culture. My goal is to educate businesses on the need for omni-channel marketing and how it can help them drive ROI, through artful media placements.

Send us a text

Meet Talon and Travis Holleman, the passionate directors of ROOTS Youth+ Development Program and ROOTS Community Initiative non-profit. They have transformed their lives from the hustle and bustle of Baltimore to a serene homestead in Georgetown, DE where they run nature-based community education to bridge the gap in traditional schooling through teaching practical life skills, yoga, mindfulness, homesteading, regenerative farming, earth conservation, permaculture ethics and more. Together, they aim to empower children through hands-on learning, fostering community, and promoting self-sufficiency for a better future. 

Send us a text

Skip Ford is a servant leader that focuses on individual and team development to ensure mission accomplishment. He is culminating a 38- year career in the U.S. Air Force at the highest enlisted rank. He is a married father of four and prides himself in his involvement in myriad community initiatives and looks forward to more engagement in retirement. 

Send us a text

Kim Chitty is the Executive Director of Girls on the Run Delaware. She has been with the organization since its inception in 2005 and remains passionate about the mission. She is married and has 2 adult daughters, both of whom participated in and coached Girls on the Run. 

Carrie Townsend is the program director for Girls on the Run Delaware for Kent and Sussex County. She feels honored to have worked in this role for 10 years and is thrilled with the program's growth in southern Delaware. Originally from Milford, she and her husband raised their now adult son in Dover before moving to Rehoboth Beach where they now live.  A lifelong runner, Carrie is dedicated to both the Girls on the Run program and the girls that it serves in her community.  

Send us a text

Jenn Ewald, LCSW and Jen Sellitto-Penoza, LCSW (affectionately referred to as "The Jenns") founded the 501c3 non-profit organization, Postnatal Support Advocates, Inc., in mid 2023. Our mission is to revolutionize the postpartum experience for Delaware Families through emotional wellness support during the foundational 4th trimester and beyond. We wholeheartedly believe that when adequately served and supported, postnatal parents have access to the rest, recovery and care that their mind and body needs. This ultimately means a reduction in postpartum mood disorders and better opportunity for a secure parent-infant bond.

Follow here:  IG and FB: @postnatalsupportadvocates.

 balancedmindjourney.com/maternalwellness.

Send us a text

Say hello to Theoni, the powerhouse behind “NOT UR DADDYS LENDER” - your not-so-typical mortgage expert with a flair for making home buying cool, comprehensible, and completely relatable for the younger generation. Diving into the mortgage banking world at 18 and now thriving with Annie Mac Home Mortgage as a correspondent lender, Theoni's approach is anything but traditional. Her journey took a vibrant turn in 2019, propelling her into social media fame with a whopping 175,000 followers on TikTok and over 25,000 on Instagram, where she demystifies the home buying process with a blend of expertise, humor, and real talk.

Born in Albania and embarking on her American dream at just four years old, Theoni embodies the epitome of a strong work ethic, driven by her immigrant roots. Now 27, living the beach life in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with her husband, toddler, and another baby on the way, she's a testament to balancing professional success with a bustling family life.

Together with her husband, Theoni extends her passion for making things relatable to helping small businesses, real estate agents, and lenders nationwide sharpen their marketing game.

Send us a text

The pandemic gave rise to an explosion of pet adoptions and as regulations began lifting, people began looking for daycare socialization options for their pets. Historically, Dover had no options for dog boarding or daycare and that’s where we, Han Dover Your Rover, came in. In August of 2022 we opened our doors to the community and offer dog daycare, boarding and spa services. They cater to a dogs individualized needs while still offering an amazing group play program. It’s always a great day to Han Dover Your Rover!

Send us a text

Milk + Honey Lactation

Brittanie, Suzanna, & Kelly

Just your lactation-loving, evidence-based, women-empowering, pumping-savvy LC’s here to bring breastfeeding support to the Eastern Shore.

Send us a text

Laura is a  proud mommy of one silly little one, a bonus mom of one amazing teenager and married to her best friend, Jason. 

Laura is an infant and toddler sleep specialist, certified by the Pediatric Sleep Academy! She is an Army veteran going on 13 years originally from NY and now living in DE since 2015.

She absolutely love supporting families with kids from infancy through 5 years old getting the proper, restful and restorative sleep they need. 

The sleep habits that are taught are healthy, safe and become lifelong skills with behavioral, health, mood & appetite benefits.

Send us a text

 Melissa is a guide for high-achieving yet overwhelmed mommas - women that want to do it all but are left stressed out, unsure about how much more they can take. She supports them to drop the supermom facade so they can actually start to enjoy their life, live in alignment, and experience more ease and joy! She is also a podcast host of The Reawakened Mom Podcast, dynamic speaker, wife and boy momma to three.

Send us a text

 About NeighborGood Partners

NeighborGood Partners is a nonprofit affordable housing and community development organization. Our mission is to strengthen communities through housing, lending, and education. We provide homeownership, financial education, and foreclosure prevention services throughout Delaware. We are also a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that lends for affordable housing and community facilities, a housing development consultant, and involved with housing development throughout the Delmarva Peninsula. As the Northeast Regional TA provider for the USDA Self-Help Housing program, we cover 21 states. All are successful resources to advance communities region wide. 

Karen Speakman, the Executive Director of NeighborGood Partners, brings over four decades of dedication and expertise in affordable housing and community development to her role. Since stepping into executive leadership in 2018, she has skillfully managed a team of 45 and an operating budget of $6.5 million, driving the nonprofit's mission to fortify communities through innovative housing, lending, and financial educational services. Starting her journey at NeighborGood Partners (formerly NCALL) as a Housing Specialist before rising to Deputy Director,  Karen has been pivotal in developing 46 rental housing complexes, overseeing the Real Estate Development line of business, the Restoring Central Dover initiative, as well as Homeownership Counseling, Foreclosure Prevention Counseling, and Stand by Me financial coaching—plus advocating for impactful public policy—at both federal and state levels. Her academic foundation in Urban Affairs from the University of Virginia, coupled with her partnership among various housing and redevelopment organizations, underscores her commitment to creating equitable housing solutions. 

Beyond her professional endeavors, Karen is a proud resident of Dover whose personal life mirrors her professional values of community improvement and social advocacy. Her engagement in activities like pickleball, volunteering at church, and a book club reveals a lighter side to her, offering a glimpse into her interests and hobbies outside of her demanding career. Karen's story is not just one of professional success but also of personal passion and commitment to making a difference in the lives of others, making her a true inspiration in the field of community development and affordable housing.

Jennifer Lawson, Marketing and Communications Manager, has a robust background that spans over 23 years. Her role at NeighborGood Partners combines her creative service experience with her innovative approach to marketing. Jennifer is at the heart of the organization's communication initiatives, spearheading the rollout of the NeighborGood Partners brand and marketing strategies. Spreading the word about the services that NeighborGood Partners offers to our local and regional communities, her proven track record of success is a testament to her ability to not only conceive creative solutions but to implement them effectively, driving forward the mission of NeighborGood Partners in affordable housing, lending, and financial education.

Away from her professional endeavors, Jennifer's life is full of vibrancy and community engagement. Residing in Smyrna with her family, her love for learning and creativity extends into her personal hobbies as well; she is an avid podcast listener, sports mom, and an artist who finds joy in expressing herself through various mediums.