From the Black Forest to Honesdale: A Story Grown by Hand

What does it look like to build a life slowly, intentionally, and with your hands in the soil?

In this episode of HarmonyTALK, host Lisa Champeau sits down with Gudrun Feigl, founder of Mount Pleasant Herbary, whose journey from Germany’s Black Forest to Northeastern Pennsylvania is rooted in memory, creativity, and quiet persistence.

Gudrun did not set out to become an entrepreneur. Trained as a social worker, she arrived in the United States through a work exchange program, eventually settling in a town that, at the time, felt uncertain and still finding its identity. Over time, as she built a life in Honesdale, something else began to grow.

What started as homemade herbal teas shared at Christmas evolved into a small table of three products and eventually into a vibrant shop filled with dozens of handcrafted goods. Today, Gudrun grows her own herbs, creates in small batches, and offers workshops that invite others into the joy of making.

This conversation explores creativity, slow growth, community collaboration, and the courage to follow curiosity without a clear roadmap. It is a story about building something meaningful without rushing the process and finding fulfillment in both the making and the sharing.

If you have ever wondered whether small beginnings can lead to something lasting, this episode offers a gentle and inspiring answer.

Follow Mount Pleasant Herbary:
Instagram
Facebook

Follow HarmonyTALK Podcast:
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
Linkedin

Scranton: The City Fans Thought They Knew

How did an architect end up reshaping a city’s pop culture identity?

In this episode of HarmonyTALK, host Todd Stephens sits down with Michele Dempsey, architect, entrepreneur, single mom, and one of the creative forces who helped turn Scranton’s connection to ‘The Office’ into something no one expected: pride, tourism and a renewed identity.

Set as the backdrop for the cult NBC sitcom, Scranton risked becoming the butt of national jokes. But Michele saw something else entirely. She recognized that humor could become hospitality and that this newfound national attention could build momentum in reviving civic pride.

What followed was the creation of Office fan conventions, citywide events, celebrity appearances, and experiences that welcomed thousands of fans from around the world while helping locals see their hometown differently.

Scranton’s Office Convention and The Office Wrap Party filled local hotels. To this day, The Office 5K energizes Scranton’s downtown every May. And thanks to streaming services delivering Office episodes to new generations, fan tourism has exploded across Northeastern Pennsylvania.

But Michele did not come from the world of entertainment. She came from architecture, a profession built on vision, planning and making ideas real. She simply applied those same instincts to a city and a popular sitcom.

This conversation explores leadership, identity, reinvention, economic development, and the rare skill of turning cultural attention into community momentum.

If you’ve ever wondered how a city can control its own narrative, this story offers an unforgettable answer.

Layer X Architecture & Design:

Layer X Instagram

Layer X Facebook

Michelle Dempsey’s Podcast:

Spark Me Podcast

Spark Me Podcast Instagram


Follow HarmonyTALK Podcast:
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
Linkedin

The Office Exhibition:

https://www.visitnepa.org/event/the-office-exhibition/19873/

https://everhart-museum.org/pages/the-office-exhibition

https://www.instagram.com/the_office_exhibition/?hl=en

The Office Convention on YouTube

The Office Wrap Party (Steve Carell Surprise)

Beyond Dunder Mifflin: The Electric City Documentary

Following a Different Beat: From State Trooper to Global Travel Guide

What happens when the thing you’ve always loved becomes the center of your life?

In this episode of HarmonyTALK, host Greg Frigoletto sits down with Matt Kizis, whose journey reflects a powerful shift toward alignment and possibility.

After years of service as a dedicated Pennsylvania State Trooper, Matt traded in his badge for a passport, deciding to follow his passion for travel and turn it into his life’s work. Together with his business partner, he purchased TravelWorld, a trusted agency that has served Northeastern Pennsylvania for more than 50 years, stepping into the responsibility of carrying forward a legacy while shaping its future.

Today, Matt travels the world with his wife, guiding travelers through breathtaking destinations like Italy, London, Paris and beyond. But his work goes far beyond planning trips. He creates experiences rooted in connection, culture and discovery.

This episode explores career reinvention, legacy business ownership, entrepreneurship, travel as transformation, and what becomes possible when you build your life around what you love.

Follow Matt Kizis:
Facebook
Instagram
Linkedin

Follow HarmonyTALK Podcast:
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
Linkedin

Follow Host, Greg Frigoletto:
Instagram

Email harmonytalkpodcast@gmail.com for sponsorship and guest opportunities!

Inside George Magazine: Lisa DePaulo on JFK Jr., Journalism, and Getting the Story Right

That second call brought the Dunmore, Pennsylvania, native into one of the most influential media spaces of the 1990s.

DePaulo shares what it was like to work with JFK Jr. as an editor, how he shaped her approach to reporting, and what he understood about the balance between access and restraint. She reflects on the culture inside George, where politics and celebrity met, and where strong journalism still drove the work.

The conversation also turns to the FX series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette. DePaulo offers a measured perspective on what the show captures well and where it misses, especially when it comes to the emotional truth behind public figures.

This episode is about judgment.
Protecting sources.
Standing by your work.

And it is about the moment that stayed with her.
The call she planned to make.
The news that followed instead.

Clear, thoughtful and grounded, this conversation reflects what journalism looks like at its best.

What happens when a story you love becomes the life you choose?

In this powerful episode of HarmonyTALK, host Todd Stephens sits down with Scranton native Mike Kunda, founder of the Yo, Philly! Rocky Film Tour and one of the most recognized Rocky impersonators in the world.

As a child, Mike faced bullying, insecurity, and a deep sense of not belonging. Then he discovered Rocky. What began as escape became identity. What began as imitation became transformation.

Mike shares how he turned adversity into purpose, built a business rooted in passion, and formed a real-life connection with Sylvester Stallone himself.

This episode explores perseverance, identity, creativity, resilience, and what it means to keep showing up for your dream even when no one else understands it.

Perfect for listeners drawn to underdog stories, personal transformation, creative entrepreneurship, mindset, and the power of believing in something bigger than yourself.

FOLLOW HARMONYTALK PODCAST @harmonytalkpodcast

Join Our Mailing List: https://www.harmonytalkpodcast.com/signup

Instagram: https://instagram.com/harmonytalkpodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harmonytalkpodcast

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HarmonyTALKPodcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/harmonytalkpodcast

https://harmonytalkpodcast.com/

Follow Host, Todd Stephens:

https://www.instagram.com/workinman1/

Email harmonytalkpodcast@gmail.com for sponsorship and guest opportunities!

How many ceilings can one woman break?

Pat Mitchell stopped counting.

In this episode of HarmonyTALK, host Lisa Champeau sits down with a true original. A woman who did not just rise through the ranks of media, she reshaped them.

Pat Mitchell is a serial ceiling smasher. The first female president of PBS and CNN. The first woman to own and host a nationally syndicated daily talk show. And long before the titles, she was a young woman willing to risk everything to build a life that did not yet exist.

She marched for civil rights. Reported from war zones. Told stories no one else would touch. And when the industry said women’s voices did not matter, she made them impossible to ignore.

But what makes this conversation unforgettable is what comes after the accolades.

Pat speaks candidly about the decisions behind the moments. The instincts she learned to trust. And the responsibility she feels to lift other women as she climbs.

This is a conversation about leadership, yes. But also about courage, mentorship, and the quiet, persistent work of changing what is possible.

FOLLOW HARMONYTALK PODCAST @harmonytalkpodcast

Join Our Mailing List: https://www.harmonytalkpodcast.com/signup

Instagram: https://instagram.com/harmonytalkpodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harmonytalkpodcast

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HarmonyTALKPodcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/harmonytalkpodcast

https://harmonytalkpodcast.com/

Follow Host, Lisa Champeau:

https://www.instagram.com/lisachampeau/

Email harmonytalkpodcast@gmail.com for sponsorship and guest opportunities!

Chef Von on Hustle, Reinvention and Building Something Real

What does it take to bet on yourself when there’s no backup plan?

In this episode of HarmonyTALK, host Greg Frigoletto sits down with Chef Ryan Von Smith, known as Chef Von, a self-taught chef whose journey spans Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, and Macau.

After leaving Scranton, Pennsylvania, in search of something bigger, Chef Von worked his way from the door - as a bouncer - at Tao Asian Bistro into high-pressure kitchens across the country. When COVID shut everything down, he returned home and started cooking out of his mom’s kitchen, turning a moment of uncertainty into Chef Von & Mom, a restaurant rooted in family, community and bold flavor.

Since then, he has stepped back onto the global stage, placing third at the World Master Chefs Competition, winning the 2024 World Rice Championship, and appearing on Gordon Ramsay’s Next Level Chef.

This conversation is about more than food. It’s about risk, resilience, reinvention and the confidence to build something real, twice.

FOLLOW HARMONYTALK PODCAST @harmonytalkpodcast

Join Our Mailing List: https://www.harmonytalkpodcast.com/signup

Instagram: https://instagram.com/harmonytalkpodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harmonytalkpodcast

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HarmonyTALKPodcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/harmonytalkpodcast

https://harmonytalkpodcast.com/

Follow Host, Lisa Champeau:

https://www.instagram.com/lisachampeau/

Email harmonytalkpodcast@gmail.com for sponsorship and guest opportunities!

Beyond the Tank: When the Real Entrepreneurial Journey Begins

Many entrepreneurs dream of appearing on Shark Tank.

But what happens after the cameras turn off?

In this episode of HarmonyTALK, host Lisa Champeau sits down with Scranton native and inventor Kim Meckwood, founder of Click & Carry, the simple but ingenious device designed to make carrying grocery bags, paint cans, sports equipment, and everyday loads dramatically easier.

Kim’s idea began with a familiar frustration. While hauling grocery bags up apartment stairs, she wondered why such a common problem didn’t have a better solution.

That moment sparked Click & Carry.

Turning the idea into a real product required persistence. Kim built prototypes, secured patents, and auditioned seven times before finally landing a spot on Shark Tank, where she secured a deal with Barbara Corcoran and Mark Cuban.

Today Kim is focused on the next chapter of entrepreneurship. She is pitching Click & Carry to major retailers, working to place the product on big box store shelves, and exploring how to move manufacturing to the United States as new import tariffs reshape global production.

Her mindset is simple:

“No just means no for now.”

FOLLOW HARMONYTALK PODCAST @harmonytalkpodcast

Join Our Mailing List: https://www.harmonytalkpodcast.com/signup

Instagram: https://instagram.com/harmonytalkpodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harmonytalkpodcast

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HarmonyTALKPodcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/harmonytalkpodcast

https://harmonytalkpodcast.com/

Follow Host, Lisa Champeau:

https://www.instagram.com/lisachampeau/

Email harmonytalkpodcast@gmail.com for sponsorship and guest opportunities!