The Boise Bubble Podcast

In this episode Natalie was invited onto the City Cast Boise podcast (https://boise.citycast.fm) to discuss her recommendations for summer restaurants in the Treasure Valley. Hope you enjoy!

We’ve talked a lot about our move from tradition medicine to functional medicine. It has changed our lives and given us a lot of hope. In this episode we sit down Amber Warren PA-C, IFMCP (https://www.fmioptimal.com/amber-warren) of Functional Medicine of Idaho (https://funmedidaho.com) and FMI Optimal (https://www.fmioptimal.com/begin) and Host of the Functional Medicine Foundations (https://www.fmioptimal.com/podcast/categories/podcast) podcast to discuss exactly what makes functional medicine different from traditional American health care. The frustration with our health care system is palpable across the Nation. What would it look like if doctors started to focus on root cause instead of just treating symptoms? If we tried to keep people well instead of waiting until they were chronically ill? If we didn't allow insurance and pharmaceutical companies to control the system. It’s a fascinating conversation. We get a bit riled up, but it might do us all a little good to rage a bit against the status quo.

Death is a topic our culture doesn’t seem to be very competent or confident talking about. Which is incongruent with the fact that, to paraphrase our guest, death is the most universal experience we have as humans. Some people may go most of their lives not confronting the reality of death until a loved one dies or they themselves receive a terminal diagnosis, and by that time we likely haven’t reconciled with the inevitability of death or developed any tools to deal with it. We want to change that and make the topic less culturally taboo, or at least less uncomfortable. Our hope is that by talking about it, we can get closer to making death the beautiful experience it can be. In this episode we have an amazing conversation with Alex Glynn, local end-of-life doula, energy healer, and psychic. Alex is associated with two local companies or service providers: End-Of-Life Doulas of Idaho (https://www.eoldoulasid.org) and Embracing Wild (https://www.embracingwild.com). As a death doula she, and other doulas, help individuals and their loved ones as the individual nears the end of life. She helps with practical end-of-life planning, emotional support, guidance and education on the death process, and managing grief. Her life’s passion is helping people at a time that’s often their most vulnerable. Our conversation with Alex was one of our favorites. It was practical, emotional, philosophical, and comforting. We touched on so many topics such as helpful books about death and dying, cultural and colonial influences on society’s ability to talk about and process death, what the death process is like for both the individual and their caregivers, deep emotions including fear and grief, post mortem body care, traditions and rituals, and the importance of grief as a process. We walked away from this one feeling comfort and hope, and we hope you do as well. If you’d like to learn more about death doulas, end-of-life planning, or other services that Alex specializes in, you can find her at End-of-Life Doulas Idaho (https://www.eoldoulasid.org) and Embracing Wild (https://www.embracingwild.com). Here are a few other resources we’ve found helpful: Sam Harris, The Making Sense Podcast, Episode #297: Preparing for the End (https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/297-preparing-for-the-end) A Beginner’s Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death, by BJ Miller and Shoshana Berger (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Beginners-Guide-to-the-End/BJ-Miller/9781501157219) TED Talk: “What Really Matters At the End of Life”, by BJ Miller (https://www.ted.com/talks/bj_miller_what_really_matters_at_the_end_of_life)

A lot of us in the Treasure Valley are looking at the housing market and economy and asking, “What exactly is happening here?" In this episode, we’ve invited back experienced real estate investor and Idaho realtor Jesse Taff (https://www.waypointidaho.com/agents/jesse/) and mortgage and loan specialist Bryce Gonser (https://fulcrumhomeloans.com/about-us/team-members/bryce-gonser) to talk about the 2024 Treasure Valley housing market. Together we chat about interest rates, the balancing of the market, setting expectations for buyers and sellers, and what the future might hold. If you are interested in real estate investing or home ownership, reach out to them on social media or at Waypoint Real Estate Group (https://www.waypointidaho.com/agents/jesse/) and Fulcrum Home Loans (https://fulcrumhomeloans.com/about-us/team-members/bryce-gonser).

In this episode we speak with The Headstrong Project (https://theheadstrongproject.org), a local non-profit whose mission is to provide active-duty military service members and veterans with mental health services and resources as they deal with trauma. Dr. Amy Williams (https://theheadstrongproject.org/our-team/dr-amy-m-williams/) is the group’s Chief Clinical Officer, and Tony Liles (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-j-liles/) is a veteran and mental health advocate helping connect other veterans with the group and take advantage of their services. Both are trying to remove the stigma surrounding talking about mental health issues in the military, specifically trauma, and normalize speaking about it openly and getting help when it’s needed. We discuss the varying forms of trauma, what PTSD looks like, how to spot signs of PTSD, how to find help, and specifically what resources and support are provided by The Headstrong Project. It’s a very vulnerable, honest, emotional, and needed conversation and we were honored to have it. There is truly a mental health crisis across the country among those who have served our country, and they deserve acceptance and support from the other members of a grateful nation. If you or someone you care about is currently serving in the military or are veterans and need help working through trauma and PTSD, please connect them with The Headstrong Project at theheadstrongproject.org (https://theheadstrongproject.org).

The annual Idaho Gives (https://www.idahogives.org) community non-profit fundraiser is upon us once again and in this episode we visit with Kevin Bailey (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kpbailey3/) of the Idaho Nonprofit Center (https://www.idahononprofits.org) who walks us through this year’s event and how to get involved. In addition to Kevin, we’ve brought in spokespeople for two of the non-profits participating to spotlight just a sampling of the amazing causes taking place in our state: Scott Curtis, CEO of Idaho Youth Ranch (https://www.youthranch.org); and Bart Cochran, CEO of LEAP Housing (https://www.leaphousing.org). We learned so much about these great groups and are hoping to get each of them back on the podcast to dive deeper into the needs that are driving them to help our community. We encourage all of you to participate in Idaho Gives by visiting the website idahogives.org (https://www.idahogives.org), researching the over 600 participating non-profits, and making a donation. The event takes place Monday 4/29 through Thursday 5/2. And you can learn more about our other two guests at youthranch.org (https://www.youthranch.org) and leaphousing.org (https://www.leaphousing.org).

We bring back Amos Rothstein; local comedian, food editor for Boise Weekly (https://www.idahopress.com/boiseweekly/), and up-and-coming beauty pageant MC; to talk about what we have seen in the past year in the Treasure Valley food scene. We talk happy hours, bars, new restaurants and co-ed bathrooms. Throwing in some conversation about dog people versus cat people, what a show “Real Housewives of Boise” would look like, and just a bit of sexual innuendo. It’s a very fun conversation. Get out your pen and paper, because you’re going to want to take notes.

In a very impromptu discussion, Natalie sits down with Becca Bailey from the media account Boise With Kids (https://www.boisewithkids.com) to discuss this current epidemic of burnout. They had already been chatting for a couple of hours about how they are both seeing and experiencing massive burnout in 2024, and the toll social media seems to be taking on their mental health. They decided to hit the record button in case anyone else was feeling the same. They admit they don’t have a lot of answers, and this was less of an interview and more a conversation between two friends trying to figure out why they are going a little crazy at times. If you also find yourself feeling like you’re not quite figuring out this new world we’re all living in, come along on this chat, and maybe you’ll feel less alone.

In a very unexpected turn of events, it would seem we are getting a dog. Not that we had any plans on discussing this with Marissa Lovell from the Treefort (https://treefortmusicfest.com) team and also the From Boise (https://fromboise.com) newsletter, but we do tend to get side tracked. We discuss the pros and cons and decided we will need to do at update episode after surviving the puppy stage. You can definitely tell who in the group is the most pro-dog and who is a little hesitant. We also talk a bit about how Marissa is feeling about marriage as she nears the two-year mark. Back to the main point of conversation, we are talking all things Treefort Music Fest 2024 (https://treefortmusicfest.com). From Foodfort to Filmfort, how to enjoy the festival on the cheap and which shows Marissa is most excited for. If you are new to Treefort and wondering what it is all about, we sum it up. If you are a Treefort Pro, we give you some tips about must sees this year, including some brand new venues. We continue the conversation with Marissa in our next episode as we chat more about what she is doing with her extremely popular newsletter and podcast. Stay tuned. Happy Treefort, everyone!

In this episode we are chatting with Holly Beech, Communications Manager at the Idaho Office for Refugees (https://www.idahorefugees.org). In this conversation we learned why Idaho is known throughout the country as having one of the best refugee programs, why Idaho is involved with refugee settlement, and how we can best support these members of our community. This discussion convinced us that refugee support is an incredible opportunity to enrich our community with diversity and new cultures. We’ve noticed that there are many misconceptions about what the term “refugee” means, and that there’s often confusion with the concept of immigration. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website (https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-and-asylum/refugees), a refugee is a person of special humanitarian concern to the United States who can demonstrate that they were persecuted, or fear persecution, due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Refugees are people who are in need of help when they are persecuted in their own countries, and they come to America seeking asylum, or protection. This does not include people who come to the United States illegally. We learned that determining where refugees go within the United States, and how many go to any given state, is a major effort. Idaho, come to find out, is one of the best organized and most helpful states to participate in the program. Holly did a wonderful job of walking us through all the details of how the system works and what we can do to support this community within our community. We are releasing this in anticipation of a particularly exciting event happening on February 29, 2024. The Idaho Office of Refugees annual Legislative Luncheon will take place from noon to 1:30 PM on the fourth floor of the State Capitol Rotunda. This is a FREE event for the community. We strongly encourage you to come and enjoy authentic food made by the Idaho refugee community and listen to some of their stories. We can’t think of a better way to build community and truly become neighbors than by breaking bread together with people as they share their stories. To learn more about the Idaho Office for Refugees, visit their website at www.idahorefugees.org (https://www.idahorefugees.org). We also recommend you check out Holly’s podcast, Mosaics (https://mosaics.castos.com), where she and her team interview Idaho refugees who share their amazing stories. With all that said, we bring you a conversation with Holly Beech from the Idaho Office for Refugees.

In this duel release episode Natalie was asked to be a guest on the popular Boise podcast, City Cast Boise (https://boise.citycast.fm). Together with executive producer Frankie Barnhill, they discuss Valentine's Day in the Treasure Valley. They chat about different options for Valentine’s Day, whether you are a seasoned couple or new parents trying for a little romance. She drop some hints of some of her top picks for restaurants around town, along with what we will be doing to celebrate. And they discuss the importance setting exceptions of what romance means. Feel free to check out City Cast Boise at https://boise.citycast.fm (https://boise.citycast.fm).

In this episode we speak with Paige Dinger, the Executive Director of Faces of Hope (https://www.facesofhopevictimcenter.org). Their purpose statement describes what they’re all about better than we could, so here it is: Faces of Hope provides a safety net of emergency services to people experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, stalking, and/or human trafficking. Men, women, and children can come to Faces of Hope and receive help, with no judgment, no strings, and no fees. Our dedicated team wraps around an individual or family and provides crisis intervention services to stabilize them. We are so grateful to have learned all about what Faces does for members of our community. But this conversation was hard. On one hand, what they do for victims of abuse is the pinnacle of compassion, community, and lovingkindness. On the other, that there’s so much need for what they do is heartbreaking, terrifying, and rage-inducing. It’s hard to square up in your mind that this amazing community of ours is so riddled with domestic violence and abuse. Some might say it’s better than many places in the world, and yes, that may be true- AND that’s no excuse that it happens at all, nor is it justification for us turning a blind eye towards it or downplaying it. As we spoke with Paige, it quickly became apparent that there isn’t an easy solution. The scenarios are often very complicated and don’t lend themselves to any sort of quick fix. After listening to some of these examples, the depth and complexity of the problem were overwhelming. But one can make the case that it’s incredibly encouraging that our community has so many resources for domestic violence and abuse, and Faces is one of them. A simple Google search of “domestic abuse resources” returns a long list of local groups committed to helping those in need in tangible ways (we were brought to tears hearing about how Faces provides what’s called Hope’s Closet). We encourage you to listen to this episode, if not for yourself, then for someone in your life. The statics show that the odds of you or someone close to you experiencing domestic abuse at some point during your life is staggeringly high. And take note of the ways Paige says we can provide support. Whether it’s through time, money, or donations, getting involved and making a real impact on someone’s life is much easier than you might think. You can learn more about Faces at www.facesofhopevictimcenter.org (https://www.facesofhopevictimcenter.org). If you are experiencing abuse and need help, please find them. Their website is great and easy to navigate, and their offices are located at 1850 S. Eagle Road in Meridian (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Faces+of+Hope+Victim+Center+-+Meridian/@43.5883571,-116.3534908,17z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x54ae514afbd77337:0x94814c434c484a87!4m6!3m5!1s0x54ae513ce40c59df:0x8d62f8640597343b!8m2!3d43.5883571!4d-116.3534908!16s%2Fg%2F11vpnq_0tm?entry=ttu). Or you can call them at (208) 986-HELP (4357), or call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at (800) 799-7233.

Around the onset of every new year, we talk about the year-in-review and our plans looking forward. In this episode, Shane takes the wheel and lays out his lofty plans for 2024. It feels a little awkward to him to talk so much about himself and his personal goals, but he doesn’t let that stop him. The exercise of sharing goals with a partner becomes a vehicle for talking about a list of important topics such as healthy habits, shared household responsibilities, spousal support, equal ownership of romance, mental health, liberation in relinquishing control, the value of individual and couples therapy, healthy masculinity, intentional time with kids, acceptance of and planning for death (not as morbid as it sounds), and taking control of our quality of life in 2024. Yeah, we hit a lot of topics. More than anything, we hope that Shane’s energy for the new year and how he goes about setting and achieving goals inspires you to move to action to take control of this year with hope and confidence (even if a nerdy spreadsheet may not be the tool that would work for you). You can do great things, and we’re here to help with our ramblings. Happy New Year!

In this episode we ring in the new year with a special conversation with Elena DeYoung, the owner of Alyonka Russian Cuisine (https://alyonkarussiancuisine.com). Alyonka is possibly our favorite restaurant in the Treasure Valley, and Elena was instrumental in making it memorable from our very first visit. Through the many times we’ve dined there, we’re grateful to count Elena and her wonderful husband, Dan, as friends. We were honored to have them in our home recently to share Elena’s story as an immigrant from Kazakhstan, as an Idahoan and business owner, and as a local celebrity, having been featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/diners-drive-ins-and-dives) with Guy Fieri. This is less a feature on Alyonka specifically, and more a conversation about dedication, community, spousal support, and building relationships and connecting generations through food. Although the food itself is remarkable on its own, what’s more interesting is how it introduced us to an amazing intergenerational and cross-cultural story. Elena is a truly wonderful human and an exemplar of hard work and pursuing your passion to the benefit of a community. We discuss how we met, her immigration and establishment in the United States, starting a business at the onset of Covid, how she sees food and the experience of sharing it and eating it, her deserved success in being featured on national television, and the support and hostility she has experienced as a Russian-American during the course of the Ukrainian-Russian war. Integral to all of this is her relationship with Dan. It’s inspiring to see how proud and supportive he is of her and how his deep commitment has magnified her success. We hope you enjoy this episode. And with that, we bring you a conversation with Elena and Dan DeYoung.

On this episode, we dual-release with the podcast Confessions of a CEO (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/confessions-of-a-ceo/id1604417965) hosted by Kelci Borges of The Boise Breakfast Club (https://www.theboisebreakfastclub.com) and We Are She Rose (https://wearesherose.com). Natalie was invited to sit down with Kelci for an intimate discussion about working professionally and visibly on social media. They discuss dealing with the algorithm, burnout, trolls and haters, and how to find success on social media. This is the first episode Natalie goes deeply into the beginnings of her social media career and how it started over 16 years ago. It’s a very raw and vulnerable discussion about the realities of being a very visible local public figure. We hope you enjoy. Thank for the invitation Kelci- We love what you are doing!

In this episode we have the pleasure and honor of speaking with Anthony Doerr. Anthony is an American author of novels, short stories, and essays. He is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All the Light We Cannot See (2014), which was a #1 New York Times bestseller, has been translated into more than 40 languages, and has recently been adapted into a limited series on Netflix. He is also the author of the novels Cloud Cuckoo Land (2021) and About Grace (2007), short story collections The Shell Collector (2002) and Memory Wall (2010), and his personal memoir Four Seasons in Rome (2011). Anthony writes for The Boston Globe and The Morning News online magazine, has been featured in The Atlantic and The New Yorker, was the Writer in Residence for Idaho from 2007 to 2010, and has taught at Boise State University. In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, he has received numerous prestigious awards and has been a finalist for many more. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and has called Boise his home for many years. All his deserved acclaim aside, Anthony was a blast to speak with. He’s the kind of guy you feel you’ve known for years and with whom you want to share a bottle of wine by a fire pit (or as he may prefer, a six pack). He just has such a positive energy. We could have talked for hours, but restrained ourselves to focus on some of the themes of his novels which include the power of ideas to mobilize people to action, authoritative control and censorship, technology’s ability to make wonders or wreak havoc, the dangers of “othering”, and being a force for good in the world. We touch on how many of these issues have affected our local community, the value of libraries, our shared love of Idaho, and even discuss how to be great parents and raise good, strong kids who are ready for a tumultuous world. FYI: We spoke with Anothy over Zoom, which is usually wonderful, but today caused a few hiccups. Or maybe it was our internet connection. Who knows- I’m not a tech nerd. But there are a few Matrix-y sounding pings and a little static towards the end. We hope you bear with us, because the conversation is well worth it. If you want to know more about Anthony, just Google him (he’s kind of a big deal and is all over the internet). But you can get an overview at his website anthonydoerr.com (https://anthonydoerr.com) or by checking out one of his many writings. We strongly recommend you read either All the Light We Cannot See or Cloud Cuckoo Land, or tune into the Netflix series of All the Light We Cannot See.

We may get totally canceled for this episode. But here goes. First up, we talk about the notorious “man cold” and why exactly women get, um, let’s say, “annoyed” when their men start to stifle. And contrary to popular belief, it isn’t about the actual sickness. Next up, just for funsies, let’s chat PMS, or as we like to say, “Code Red”. There is a delicate balance between women experiencing menstruation and PMS and their spouses being able to safely address it. What you might not expect is that the Man Cold and Code Red have a lot in common. At least we think so. Throw in discussion on expectations, resentment, and Gen-Z slang, and you have your next couples chat ready to go.

We’re really excited about this episode. If you've been looking for a way to give back to the community and see some of the best of what Boise offers, this is it. The Boise Bicycle Project (https://www.boisebicycleproject.org) is a local organization whose mission is to get the community excited about biking and get people access to bikes in the Boise area. They also educate on how to ride and repair. Their shop is on South Lusk Street in Boise (https://maps.app.goo.gl/95Af8mWtujUjRUhBA)where they sell bikes and parts, offer classes on bike repair and maintenance, and host a variety of programs and events. Devin McComas is a passionate bike enthusiast and the new executive director. In addition to swapping fond bike-related memories with us, he walks us through what the Boise Bicycle Project is all about and tells us all about their major annual event- the Holiday Kids Bike Giveaway (https://www.boisebicycleproject.org/holiday-kids-bike-giveway). This event is amazing and presents a great opportunity for individuals, families, and businesses to make a real impact in the life of a young person by helping them get their dream bike. The kids actually submit a drawing of their dream bike and together with volunteers and members of the community, the Boise Bicycle Project designs, creates, and gives these bikes to the kids. It’s pretty freaking cool. The Boise Bubble and our sponsors- Jesse Taff (https://www.waypointidaho.com/agents/jesse/) with Waypoint Real Estate Group, Bryce Gonser (https://www.fulcrumhomeloans.com/about-us/team-members/bryce-gonser) with Fulcrum Home Loans, and Dr. Dustin Portela with Treasure Valley Dermatology (https://www.dermatologyboise.com)- are all pitching in to support the Holiday Kids Bike Giveaway by adopting a couple of bikes. If you’re interested in supporting this cause this holiday season, you can visit the Project’s website (https://www.boisebicycleproject.org (https://www.boisebicycleproject.org)) and click on the link for the Holiday Kids Bike Giveaway (https://www.boisebicycleproject.org/holiday-kids-bike-giveway). When you get there, you’ll see multiple ways you can contribute: you can donate a bike, you can volunteer at the event on December 16th, make a monetary donation, or adopt a bike. We hope you enjoy this conversation and learn more about a great resource for our Valley, and if you feel so inclined, check out the Boise Bicycle Project’s website (https://www.boisebicycleproject.org) and Boise bike shop. It will definitely brighten your day.

It’s not everyday you meet a doctor who has made being a doctor their side gig. That’s an obvious exaggeration, but it’s what our friend (and sponsor) Dustin Portela of Treasure Valley Dermatology has done. Doctor Portela’s success at building a local skin care network across the Treasure Valley has been rivaled (and perhaps overshadowed) by his rise in dominant social media platforms TikTok and Instagram, which he has used to great effect in achieving his mission of making high-quality skin care accessible to everyone. Doctor Portela joins us to talk about not only basic skin care, but separating facts and relevant data from noise and misinformation, the way social media has become a tool for doctors to bypass the complicated insurance megacomplex to get medical information into the hands of the public, and his mission to help disadvantaged communities get access to skin care and cancer screening. We even razz him a bit about his personal transformation from skinny Steve Rogers to ripped Captain America. We’re so pleased with the value the Treasure Valley Dermatology group adds to our community and invite you to learn more about them on the web (www.dermatologyboise.com (www.dermatologyboise.com)), on the Gram, and on TikTok (both @drdustinportela).

It seems like dating after getting into a committed relationship should be a simple thing. We’ve found that not to be the case, especially in the weird dynamic of choosing a restaurant. Why is this so difficult for so many couples? And we were no exception to this problem, at least for a while. In this conversation we discuss some ways to make dating a little easier: tools for establishing expectations, listening to each other's needs and figuring out the purpose of a date night, how needs for time spent together change over time, and how sometimes a restaurant choice is so much more about the experience you have as a couple than it is about the food that’s coming to your table. We end with a rapid fire list of restaurants across the Treasure Valley to help you narrow down your next night out on the town.