Topsail Insider Podcast

In this episode of Topsail Insider, I sit down with Karen Malloy, president of The 1865 Society of Pender County, to talk about the organization’s mission, local history, community programs, scholarships, and the upcoming Juneteenth celebration in Burgaw. The festivities begin Friday, June 26, with a Spoken Word Program at The Depot featuring North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green. Then on Saturday, June 27, downtown Burgaw will host a full day of family-friendly activities, food trucks

What’s it like to grow up in the “woods" of Holly Ridge, shrimp with your dad along the Carolina coast, and then go on to build one of the largest real estate companies in the area? Meet Chris Rackley, the owner and President of Lewis Realty Associates, and a local leader in vacation rentals and real estate on Topsail Island. In this episode, Chris shares his personal journey, from working on shrimp boats as a kid to leading a full-service real estate team managing over 170 vacation homes. We ta

Meet Mary Mika - She’s one of Topsail’s most trusted pet sitters—but her journey here is anything but ordinary. In this heartfelt episode of Topsail Insider , Mary Mika shares the personal journey behind her thriving pet care business, Mary E. Poppins the Pet Nanny . From a childhood filled with love and loss to overcoming cancer while building a trusted service in the Greater Topsail area, Mary opens up about the experiences that shaped her resilience and compassion. She explains how her unique

What happens when two passionate theater veterans join forces to bring the arts to a small coastal town? In this episode of Topsail Insider , new host Savannah Price sits down with Founder, Emily Graham, and her Partner, Steve Campbell, of Untitled Theatre Productions in Hampstead, NC. From cross-country moves to cross-stage collaborations, Emily and Steve share how they’ve built a thriving, inclusive theater community where kids perform for free, families volunteer together, and everyone—regard

How do we help kids thrive in today’s world? The challenges kids face today are different from those of past generations, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern North Carolina are evolving to meet those needs. In this episode of Topsail Insider , host Trudy Solomon sits down with Dawn-Michelle Blalock, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern NC , to discuss how the organization is shaping young lives through academic support, character development, social wellness, and workforce traini

In this episode of Topsail Insider , new host Mari Leigh Backus interviews Haley Marie , a certified trauma-informed breathwork facilitator and owner of Freedom Flow Collective . Haley shares her emotional journey from working as a doula to discovering the healing power of breathwork, shaped by her own deeply moving birth experience with her daughter. They explore the transformative potential of breathwork, Haley’s community offerings, and how it changed her life. Listeners are also guided throu