Small Lake City
Small Talk, Big City
Join host Erik Nilsson as he interviews the entrepreneurs, creators, and builders making Salt Lake City the best place it can be. Covering topics such as business, politics, art, food, and more you will get to know the amazing people behind the scenes investing their time and money to improve the place we call home.
Follow along for more!
Episodes
177 episodes
Tuesday Announcements 2/3: Billboards, Ballots, & Big Tours — This Week in Salt Lake
Local stories rarely arrive one at a time, and this week proves it. We kick off with a new narrative series exploring Salt Lake lore through the Billboard Queen, Julia Reagan—how one woman’s image turned into a citywide mirror for grief, money,...
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6:14
The Woman on Every Billboard: The Shocking Julia Reagan Story
A single image. A simple line. And then that face was everywhere. We dig into the story of Julia Reagan—how a quiet memorial spread across Utah and into multiple states, why it captured national attention, and what it reveals about the collisio...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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13:58
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Tuesday Announcements: NEW SEGMENT, Protests, Sundance Turmoil, And The Fight For Utah’s Future
A week of Utah headlines rarely lands with this much force. Downtown protests over the killing of Alex Pretti brought thousands into the streets and sent a charge through the Wasatch Front, while Sundance wrestled with the pressure of politics,...
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8:14
S1, E3: She Bought A Beauty School And Discovered A Mission To Empower Women - Skinworks, Natalie Parkin
Reinvention isn’t always a straight line. Natalie Parkin grew up sweeping hair in her mom’s salon, built a high-performing career in IT and telecom sales, then bought a beauty school and discovered a larger mission: empower people—especially wo...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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52:44
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Tuesday Announcements 1/13: Rocksteady Duo, Upcoming Events, Heading Somewhere Warm(er), Newsletter
Salt Lake thrives on people who build with heart, and this week we spotlight two of them. We share why Rocksteady Body Works—launched by Jeff Roche and Jessa Munion—caught our attention, blending Pilates, bodywork, and teacher training into a s...
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3:08
S2, E2: Rocksteady Bodyworks - Jessa Munion & Jeff Roche
A phone call during 9/11. A train ride west. A splitboard cut by hand and a whiteboard full of climbs. That’s the unlikely path that led Jessa Munion and Jeff Roche to build Rocksteady Body Works, a place where movement isn’t a trend—it’s medic...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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1:40:58
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Tuesday Announcements 1/6: Happy New Year, Season 2 is LIVE!, and this Week's Bodyworks Guests...
The calendar turned and our city feels wide open again. We’re back from a December reset with clear eyes, a full slate, and a promise to feature the people who make the Wasatch Front feel like home. Season Two kicks off with a story where hospi...
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3:38
S2, E1: Grand Hyatt Deer Valley - Inside Deer Valley’s Mission to Make Luxury Affordable for Military Families
A luxury mountain resort that actually lowers the cost of family time for those who serve—this is the story unfolding at Deer Valley’s East Village. We sit down with Kristen Kenney Williams of MIDA and Grand Hyatt GM Nate Hardesty to unpack how...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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59:47
Vault Episode 12: Ali Vallarta
A house struck by lightning, a six-month Sundance stint that turned into home, and a resolution to have one drink at all 218 bars in Salt Lake County—our conversation with City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta is a fast walk through how a city ...
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1:29:11
Tuesday Update 12/23: Matteo Vault Episode, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year
Need a quick, satisfying listen for the holidays? We’re dropping a short update with a heavy hitter from our Vault: the Mateo Sonier story—born in Italy, record-breaker at the University of Utah, and the force behind a beloved Italian restauran...
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2:52
Vault Episode 11: Matteo Sogne
A small town in Italy where balsamic vinegar and Ferrari share the same air taught Matteo two things: food should slow time, and precision is a kind of love. That’s the heartbeat of this conversation—a founder who brought his family to Utah to ...
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1:14:36
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Tuesday Announcements: Julian Carr Vault Episode, Kilby Block Party, Warm December, Upcoming Season 2
The shortest updates can point to the biggest stories. This week we spotlight a Vault favorite with Julian Carr—his journey from professional skier to repeat entrepreneur to new dad—and unpack why that arc lands for skiers, founders, and anyone...
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3:17
Vault Episode 10: Julian Carr
What does it really take to turn fear into fuel? We open the vault to revisit our conversation with Julian Carr, the pro skier known for launching off massive cliffs and setting records, who then channeled that same high-stakes mindset into bui...
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2:00
Tuesday Announcements 12/5: Jeff Miller Episode, Kilby Block Party Giveaway on Instagram, Current Events, and This Week's Episode
Salt Lake moved fast this week, and we’re connecting the dots between pocketbook policies, stadium culture, and a neighborhood on the brink of change. We open with a quick highlight of our conversation with Jeff Miller, where fixed-price car bu...
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5:00
Bonus: Jeff Miller - Mark Miller Subaru
A coin flip chose Subaru. The rest is strategy. Jeff Miller, fourth-generation owner of Mark Miller Subaru, joins us to share how a family dealership in Salt Lake City rewired the car-buying experience around trust, speed, and community. We dig...
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Season 1
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Episode 101
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51:44
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Tuesday Announcements 12/2: Season 2 Kicking Off, Kilby Block Party Anyone?, and New Content Coming Your Way
Season two kicks off with momentum, local stories, and a guest who puts real dollars behind the phrase “community impact.” We sit down with Jeff Miller, the fourth-generation owner of Mark Miller Subaru, to unpack how a family dealership wields...
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4:23
Vault Episode 9: Pelion Ventures - Blake Modersitzki
A farm kid who learned to “leave the field only when the work is done” found his way into venture capital, helped power Utah’s tech ascent, and said “ok” to a family decision that would change lives at Primary Children’s Hospital. Join us as we...
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1:18:45
Tuesday Announcements 11/25: Thanksgiving, Giveaway to See Jonas Brothers, Upcoming Season 2...
A quick Tuesday update with a lot of heartbeat: we’re celebrating Thanksgiving week with a shot of good news, a big giveaway, and a sharper vision for what comes next. Eric shares how the Small Lake City Podcast is leveling up for Season Two, w...
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3:31
Vault Episode 8: John Darley
A basement, a sketchbook, and a stubborn belief that boredom can be a gift—that’s where this story starts. John Darley takes us from Florida swamps and Salt Lake basements to New York studios and back again, unpacking how a youngest child with ...
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1:52:55
Tuesday Announcements 11/11: Mi Duole's Stuart Anderson Vault Episode, Dylan Gossett Tonight, Best Tacos in Small Lake City on IG
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3:34
Vault Episode 7: Mi Duole - Stuart Anderson
What turns a group ride into a real community? We sit down with Stuart Anderson, the steady force behind Mi Duole, to explore how a Utah cycling club built on “suffering together” became a home for riders of every stripe. From CrossFit beginnin...
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1:13:11
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Tuesday Announcements: Halloweekend, SLUG's Angela Brown, and Season 2 Incoming
A milestone deserves more than a pat on the back—it deserves intention. We just crossed 100 episodes and closed season one, but the path there wasn’t linear. Our live recording with Shireen Gorbani hit a technical snag, and rather than push a f...
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3:41
S1, E100: SLUG Mag/ Craft Lake City - Angela Brown
A family secret. A fork in the road. A choice that reshaped Utah’s creative landscape. Angela Brown joins us to share how a canyon kid with a camera became the force behind SLUG Magazine and the founder of Craft Lake City, turning a tiny zine a...
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Season 1
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Episode 100
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1:16:13
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Tuesday Announcements 10/23: Ranger Soundcar Halloween, Halloween, and This Week's Guest...
Big milestone, bigger conversation. We tee up Episode 100 with Shireen Gorbani, CEO of Planned Parenthood Utah, while keeping the local energy high with a Halloween kickoff, a listener discount, and a nudge to get those costumes ready. It’s a q...
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2:54