Third Space Indy

This week, I sat down with my good friend Lily Groot in her studio, with her greyhound Nancy asleep a few feet away. Lily is a painter, muralist, and printmaker, and we spent our time talking about why she’s so inspired by flowers, her Print Bike, and how Indy is a lot cooler than even we tend to give it credit for. I had a great time catching up with Lily about art, movies, and more. Lily has her first solo show in 10 years, Spare Time, coming up December 4th, 2026 at Re:Public.- Sponsors Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival: indylgbtfilmfest.com City Rising: cityrising.org Music Jennasen, “Scared Rabbit” Timestamps 00:00 Cold Open 02:24 Intro 03:32 Meet Lily 08:19 Why Flowers 13:36 The Print Bike 20:30 Speakeasy City 28:41 Movies & Hangouts 38:58 Third Spaces 47:38 Korie’s Question 49:49 Spare Time 53:07 Choosing Inefficiency 58:29 Christmas Wishes 1:04:32 Favorite Flowers 1:06:16 Find Lily

This week, I sat down with Korie Griggs at Highland Park on the east side of Indianapolis. Korie is a poet, author, co-founder of Each Other’s Books, and she’s fresh off two hip replacements, all while about to release her new book, And So It Is. We talked about finally being able to say yes to things, carrying grief in the body, and being in right relationship with the land around us. I really enjoyed chatting with Korie today (and getting heckled by a squirrel named Kevin) Sponsors Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival: indylgbtfilmfest.com City Rising: cityrising.org Music Jennasen, “Scared Rabbit” Timestamps 00:00 Cold Open 02:00 Intro 03:19 Meet Korie 04:03 New Hips 14:13 The Books 18:07 Literary Ancestors 23:12 Ingles to Indy 30:01 Highland Park 31:41 Third Spaces 40:00 Art & Coffee 43:24 Living Freely 48:39 The White River 54:02 Simpler Living 58:01 Media & Fiction 1:03:50 Closing Questions 1:08:22 Find Korie

This week, I swung by Market Mix on 38th Street, right next to Blue Mind, and just talked to whoever wanted to sit down with me. I got to chat with Davi (and Yuvi the cat), Edith Conchas, Ben, Dillon Lockwood, and Harsha about what brought them to Indy, what keeps them here, and where they find community. It was a beautiful fall day and a really fun way to meet some new neighbors. I hope you enjoy. Sponsor City Rising: https://cityrising.org Music Jennasen, “Scared Rabbit” Timestamps 00:00 Intro 00:33 Davi 04:03 Edith 14:12 Ben 28:22 Dillon 37:50 Harsha

This week, I sat down with Tyler Fenwick, a Mirror Indy reporter and organizer with the newly formed Indiana Local News Guild, to talk about labor organizing and local journalism. Tyler talked about why you don’t have to wait for things to go bad before you organize, and what it feels like to speak up on behalf of your coworkers. We also got into the small town newspaper vibe Mirror Indy brings to the city and some of the more memorable people he’s met on the job. I really enjoyed chatting with Tyler today about unions, journalism, Alan Jackson, and more! Sponsor City Rising: cityrising.org Music Jennasen, “Scared Rabbit” Links Mirror Indy: mirrorindy.org Indiana Local News Guild: inlocalnewsguild.com Timestamps 00:00 Cold Open 01:00 Intro 02:06 Meet Tyler 05:18 Why Organize 08:22 Organizing Quietly 11:20 Going Public 14:46 Recognition 17:17 What’s Next 21:31 Labor History 25:08 Local Journalism 28:43 The Labor Beat 31:08 AI & News 32:58 Supporting Mirror Indy 37:26 Third Spaces 41:35 Indy Stories 44:34 Two Years Ago 46:55 Alan Jackson Christmas 49:28 Next Guest Question 50:51 Where to Find Tyler 52:30 Outro

This week, for my birthday episode, I handed the mic to Patrick Armstrong, who guest-hosts the podcast. We talked about what a third space means to me now, a year and a half into the show, plus introversion, making Reels, and how I think about success. This was a moment to talk through a bit of self-reflection as I complete 2 full years in Indianapolis. I hope you enjoy. Sponsor City Rising: https://cityrising.org Music Jennasen, "Scared Rabbit" Timestamps 00:00 Cold Open 01:04 Intro 02:29 Angela Davis 07:21 Why This Episode 12:02 Content & Reels 20:26 Defining Third Spaces 30:12 Presence & Introversion 41:13 Year Highlights 44:02 Picking Guests 53:14 Canned Questions 1:10:15 Defining Success 1:18:25 Where to Find Patrick

This week, I sat down with Lindsey Cornett, who's running for the IPS School Board in District 4, to talk about public schools and what they mean for a city. Lindsey has been through a lot over the past few months just to stay on the ballot, and she walked us through it all. We also talked about why kids are our neighbors, whether you have them or not, and why she still has so much hope for IPS. I really enjoyed chatting with Lindsey today about schools and community. I hope you enjoy. Sponsor City Rising — cityrising.org Music Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit" Timestamps 00:00 Cold Open 01:12 Intro 02:33 Meet Lindsey 04:48 Why Run 09:05 Ballot Battle 14:58 IPEC & Governance 23:13 Hope & Goals 28:54 Neighborhood Schools 36:35 Funding & Equity 40:23 Down-Ballot Races 42:49 Third Spaces 51:19 Enroll Indy 57:20 Meeting Update 59:19 Guest Questions 1:05:11 Wrap Up

This week I sat down with Michael and Madeleine Janssen, the founders of Circle City Flea and Lucky Duck Ventures, to talk about bringing an outdoor flea market back to Indianapolis. We got into why markets right now, why businesses struggle to find retail space, and what it means to build an authentic space of just another market. I really enjoyed this conversation and hope you do too! Sponsor City Rising — cityrising.org Music Intro: Lily & Madeleine - "Rabbit" Outro: Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit" Timestamps 0:00 Cold Open 1:58 Intro 2:43 Meet Michael & Madeleine 5:30 Why a Flea Market 15:45 Circle City Flea's Home 26:20 Markets & Local Economy 39:45 Canned Questions 53:24 Flea Design & AI 1:05:02 Closing Question & Where to Find Them

This week, I sat down with Christine Page, executive director of the Indiana Barn Foundation, to talk about moving back to Indianapolis after 30 years away. Christine talked about the shuffleboard club she ran in Florida and what eventually led her to come back home to Indiana. I really enjoyed chatting with her about how the city's changed since she left, the interstate's effect on our neighborhoods, and barns. I hope you enjoy. Sponsor: City Rising — cityrising.org Music: Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit" Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open 00:47 Intro 02:30 Meet Christine 04:31 Shuffleboard Club 19:12 Returning to Indy 23:22 Getting Involved 28:25 Interstate & Urban Planning 35:35 Third Spaces & Historic Buildings 49:53 Barns 59:46 Closing Thoughts 1:07:43 Where to Find Christine

Today's guest is Jennifer Magley, a local content creator, emcee, and sidequester. She recently finished her 100 stages in 365 days quest, and I'm fortunate to have sat down with her at Borage in Speedway as one of her final stages before she rounded it out with stage 100 on the Conversation Piece podcast. Jennifer has long been one of the most requested guests for the show, and I'm so thankful because she's electric, and I hope you hear how much genuine fun I had talking with her. SPONSOR City Rising — cityrising.org MUSIC Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit" TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Cold Open 01:08 Intro 01:59 Meet Jennifer 02:25 Borage & Safe Spaces 05:47 Brownsburg vs. Indy 09:15 Stooge Quest & Pat McAfee 12:39 Community & Belonging 18:24 Stage Quest Stories 26:24 Wardrobe & Style 30:04 City Rising Question 35:00 Money & Investment in Indy 38:43 Husband Rob 42:06 Talking to Women 54:13 Style Evolution 58:03 Crisis & Booking Gigs 01:03:22 Community & Privilege 01:15:00 Where to Find Jennifer

This week I'm talking to my friend Fred Miller, AKA MF Fred. You may know him from his whiteboard videos or the Flock Camera bike tour he ran just this past weekend. Fred has been on my list of people to talk to for a long time, and we finally found some time to sit down in Garfield Park to talk about everything from the origin of the whiteboard, growing up around a megachurch, and what it means to rethink how we treat our public spaces. City Rising — cityrising.org Intro Song: "Spitting Up Blood" by MFFred Outro Song: "Scared Rabbit" by Jennasen 00:00 Cold Open 01:21 Intro 02:19 Meet Fred 04:38 Freelance & Job Search 11:46 Origin of the Whiteboard 17:09 Content & Views 24:33 MF Fred Origins 24:57 Garfield Park 34:07 What is a Third Space 42:26 Lost Third Spaces 55:04 Indy Stories 59:02 Repairing the Commons 1:07:19 Closing & Where to Find Fred

This week, I'm chatting with Jason and Molly, the co-leaders of November Project Indy, a free workout group that shows up rain, shine, or negative-degree wind chill at 6 am, twice a week. We talked about why people keep coming back for over a decade, how the group has reshaped the way they both see Indianapolis, and Jason opens up about the heart attack that changed how he thinks about relying on other people. I really enjoyed chatting with them today about community and consistency in showing up. I hope you enjoy. Sponsor: City Rising — cityrising.org Music: Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit" Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open 01:08 Intro 04:59 Accessibility & Structure 11:31 The Workouts 13:00 Community & Consistency 16:03 Volunteering & Social Events 21:37 Exploring the City 27:46 Molly's Leadership Journey 30:00 Showing Up, Rain or Shine 37:02 Day Won Fitness 39:09 Canned Questions 47:00 Exercise Philosophy 52:26 Jason's Heart Attack 57:09 Reimagining City Spaces 1:10:00 Closing Question & Where to Find Them

This week, I sat down with Brianna Garr-Bland, AKA DJ BriMix, at Blue Mind Coffee to talk about public transit, third spaces, and everything in between. Bri talked about how she got into DJing, why she loves riding the bus by choice, and how Blue Mind became her go-to community spot. We also got into why more people should give the bus a shot, and what it really means to have a third space in your life. I really enjoyed chatting with Bri today about buses, DJing, and community, and beyond. I hope you enjoy. City Rising — cityrising.org Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit" 00:00 Cold Open 01:17 Intro 02:24 Meet Bri 05:24 Choice Riders 08:35 Live Music 10:08 DJ Origin Story 16:53 Blue Mind Community 35:07 Transit Influencing 39:11 Walking & Biking 48:57 Canned Questions 57:00 Bus News & Closing

This week, I sat down with Jai-Lyn Norwood, the founder of Indy Black Climbers, at North Mass Boulder. We talked about how she came into climbing, why she started a group focused on getting more Black climbers into the sport, and what it's been like building that kind of representation in a space that hasn't always had it. We also got into vulnerability, teaching third grade, losing her mom this past year, and a good amount of summer camp nostalgia. I hope you enjoy. City Rising — cityrising.org Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit" TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – Cold Open 1:40 – Intro 2:58 – Meet Jai-Lyn 5:07 – Falling for Climbing 12:12 – Community & Serendipity 15:31 – Diversity & Representation 27:57 – Third Space Question 29:14 – On Vulnerability 34:26 – Life Outside Climbing 40:14 – On Teaching & Loss 52:01 – Growing the Community 53:21 – Camp & Crag Stories 1:06:08 – Closing Question & Where to Find Jai-Lyn

Episode Summary This week, I sat down with local muralist and illustrator Siena Baldi at Lille Bønne to talk about her magical realism style, why murals matter for a city's mental health, and how a quarter-life crisis in Hawaii eventually led her to Indianapolis. Siena talked about her printmaking roots and the value of investing in mural design. I had a great time sitting with Siena on today's episode, I hope you enjoy. Sponsor City Rising — cityrising.org Music Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit" Timestamps 0:00 – Cold Open 1:14 – Intro 2:05 – Meet Siena 3:35 – Magical Realism Style 6:02 – Murals & Community Value 13:28 – Impermanence & Repair 18:40 – Path to Murals 26:35 – Weirdness & Creativity 30:38 – Moving to Indianapolis 41:28 – Belonging in Indy 48:00 – Third Space Question 49:07 – A Space That's Gone 52:05 – The One That Got Away 56:31 – Dream Wall & Guest Questions 1:03:06 – Where to Find Siena

This week, I sat down with my good friend (and podcasting rival) Patrick Armstrong, host of Conversation Piece, to catch up on his life. Patrick talked about balancing a full-time job at Downtown Indy Alliance with community building, and what makes something a true "community event" versus just networking with extra steps. We also got into identity, growing up in rural Indiana, and lessons from his recent trips to Barcelona and Michigan. I really enjoyed chatting with Patrick, and I hope you enjoy! Sponsor City Rising — cityrising.org Music Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit" Timestamps 00:00 Cold Open 01:16 Intro 01:24 Meet Patrick 03:29 Life Since Last Time 06:21 Community & Full-Time Work 13:01 What Makes an Event "Community" 21:03 Asianapolis 25:19 Spain & Michigan Trips 35:02 Rensselaer & Rural Identity 44:32 Race & Rural Culture 1:02:11 Golden Handcuffs 1:14:31 Fixing Downtown Indy 1:22:03 Where to Find Patrick

This week, I sat down with Mike Marbach, founder of Crossroads Comedy Theater, to talk about building new improv artists here in Indy. Mike talked about why improv isn't really about being funny, but rather about reintroducing adults to play, and how that carries over into everyday conversation, relationships, and even conflict resolution. I really enjoyed chatting with Mike today about his work, horror movies, and beyond. I hope you enjoy. Sponsor City Rising — cityrising.org Music Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit" (intro music) Timestamps 00:00 – Cold Open 01:07 – Intro 02:20 – Meet Mike Marbach 06:14 – Play, Improv & the Brain 17:00 – ADHD & Class Transformations 25:00 – Connection Building 29:00 – Improv in Pop Culture 39:00 – The Goal of Improv 48:00 – Being Yourself 58:00 – Arts, Wages & Transit in Indy 1:04:00 – Horror Movies 1:06:00 – Closing Question & Where to Find Mike

Episode Summary: This week, I sat down with Ben Inskeep from Citizens Action Coalition, someone I've followed on Twitter for a while and who always gets me riled up about data centers. We got into the environmental toll, the grid risks, the sad math on jobs per megawatt, and the deeper AI conversation around stolen labor, harmful use cases, and who actually benefits. Sponsor: City Rising — cityrising.org Music: Jennasen — "Scared Rabbit" Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 01:24 – Meet Ben & CAC 08:52 – Environmental & grid impact of data centers 13:56 – Jobs vs. power consumption 16:07 – AI, copyright & slop 18:03 – AI harms 22:31 – Legitimate AI uses & the hype bubble 26:41 – Economic fallout of automation 30:35 – Grok, Memphis & environmental injustice 34:23 – Subsidies & lack of transparency 39:20 – Moratoriums & local fights 41:49 – How to get involved 46:00 – Politicians dismissing opposition 47:47 – Sponsor break 48:19 – Third spaces & libraries 54:06 – Rapid-fire: previous guest's question, Luddites, final thoughts 1:01:06 – Sign-off

The Monon Trail Sale, organized by @AmandainIndy, asked Third Space Indy to attend on the second day as a merchant, where I sat down and talked to people walking through and browsing wares! I had a great time and hope you enjoy listening. Sponsors: City Rising (cityrising.org) Proformus Urban Planning & Design Intro music: Scared Rabbit by Jennasen Timestamps: * Annabella — 0:19 * Sarah — 12:34 * Tim — 21:28 * Mary McDonough Aguilera — 35:58 * Omar — 51:55 * Anderson York — 58:30 * Shaianne — 1:15:44 * Margret — 1:26:03

Mokao is a festival celebrating Coffee and Chocolate; this year, they celebrated the Americas and indigenous traditions. Third Space Indy was invited to table at the event, and while tabling, I engaged whoever was willing to sit down with me in a short conversation. Sponsors: City Rising (cityrising.org) Proformus Urban Planning & Design Intro music: Scared Rabbit by Jennasen Timestamps: * Anna — 0:36 * Brie — 5:17 * Bhavna Thapar (Little India restaurant) — 10:46 * Finley — 13:34 * Jared — 16:12 * Michelle — 19:32 * Marc — 23:22 * Hang — 32:27 * Patrick Armstrong — 37:07 * Ryan — 42:31 * Kate Grimm — 48:19 * Cameron Smith — 52:11 * Ariel Hendrickson & Nick Dietrich — 54:37

This week, I sat down with Clockwork Janz, the Creator of Frankensteam, in their backyard. We discussed the marriage of food and music in their work and life. We also talked about slowing down to spend time with friends, oral fixations, and holding hands with John Cage. I really had a great time talking to Clockwork, and I hope you enjoy this episode. Sponsors: City Rising (cityrising.org) Proformus Urban Planning & Design Intro music: Scared Rabbit by Jennasen Timestamps: 0:00 Intro/teaser 1:43 Show intro & guest intro 2:34 Meet Clockwork Janz 4:15 What is Frankensteam? 4:57 Origin of Frank 9:18 Solar power pivot 10:35 Getting into food 11:58 Grandma & cooking roots 19:15 Oral fixation theory 20:32 Music career overview 29:33 Creating presence through food & music 35:47 Sponsor / City Rising 44:05 John Cage & "4'33"" 54:58 Question for next guest 56:17 Outro & where to find Clockwork