Snack #1: A Speedy Strategy to Strengthen Alliances
Release Date: November 4, 2025
Perfect for: When you’re drowning in gratitude but short on time!
Let’s be honest—giving thanks can feel like just another item on your to-do list. Write the cards. Send the emails. Make it meaningful, but don’t make it weird. Exhausting, right?
In this bonus mini-episode, we’re cutting through the noise with a framework that turns appreciation into actual impact; no fancy stationery required, but intention is mandatory!
Listen if: You’re craving quick, meaningful ways to build stronger partnerships, re-engage allies, and create ripple effects in your community—all without adding another overwhelming project to your plate.
Listen when: You need a reminder that gratitude shouldn’t feel like a chore. It should feel like the superpower it actually is!
Snack #2: How to Make Shopping Small Irresistible
Release Date: December 2, 2025
Perfect for: When your “Shop Local” campaign needs seasonal sparkle!
Shopping locally should be an invitation, and maybe even a little bit of an adventure.
In this bonus episode, we’re flipping the script on how economic developers can activate year-round support for small businesses. We’re talking Buy Local Bingo cards, receipt challenges, and holiday gift guides that make shopping small feel like a treasure hunt, not a chore.
Whether you’re looking to drive foot traffic during a seasonal slump or turn shoppers into ambassadors with a single gift card campaign, we’ve got strategies you can steal and deploy immediately. (Oh, and stealing is encouraged in this instance. We’re generous like that.)
Listen if: You’re worried that your strategies have gone a bit stale.
Listen when: You’re trying to supercharge your holiday retail strategy or figure out why your last “buy local” push landed with a thud (like holiday fruitcake).
Snack #3: Keep Your Best Talent Local
Release Date: January 6, 2026
Perfect for: When top talent keeps skipping town.
Sure, jobs might bring people to a place, but belonging is what helps them put down roots. When people feel seen, fulfilled, and needed, they invest their time, talent, and treasure into your community for the long haul.
Belonging is so important to people at every age and stage of their lives, but particularly when they are starting or building their careers. When someone has the opportunity to immerse themselves in the life of a community, because of its civic life, livability, or volunteer opportunities, they realize, “These are my people, and this is my place.”
Listen if: Your talent attraction and retention game is tired (yawn).
Listen when: Your community is getting ghosted by talented people, and you’re ready to collaborate and keep them.
These mini-episodes are our gift to you during a season that asks a lot, and we hope you leave with lessons learned! They’re short enough to squeeze in between obligations but substantial enough to spark change. Listen, lean in, and yes—maybe even laugh a little.
Now it’s your turn: Which snack are you looking forward to the most? And what topics do you want us to tackle in Season 4? Drop me a line—I’m always listening!
