Japan...9/11...and farmer's markets?

Most Seacoast stories don't involve these components.

But for Jonathan Blakeslee, the owner of the very popular White Heron Tea & Coffee, they're critical elements of a story that you have to hear to believe.

From the roasting room at White Heron located in the West End of Portsmouth, founder/owner Jonathan and I discuss:

• Jonathan's Japan experience (00:00)
• Living and working in the Pacific Northwest (06:20)
• The origins of White Heron (09:41)
• Organic, fair trade, and sustainably sourced (16:10)
• Follow the podcast (22:13)
• Opening in Portsmouth in 2013 (23:48)
• Advice to future shop owners (31:38)
• Jonathan's concerns about the industry (35:54)
• Opening in Eliot in 2020 (47:58)
• What's your mission? (53:03)

Jonathan Blakeslee is the founder and owner of White Heron Tea & Coffee. Born in Portsmouth in 1969, Jonathan also spent his formative years in North Hampton and South Berwick. In lieu of attending college, Jonathan spent two years with the Coast Guard in Japan. After that, he spent several years working at top-ranked restaurants in Seattle and Portland (OR) before returning to the Seacoast in the mid-2000s to start White Heron.

This podcast is hosted, written, researched, and produced by Spotify's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Troy Farkas⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. FOLLOW the show on Apple or Spotify to support the show. It's free :)

Competent. Clear. Compelling.

According to Michael Cinquino, these are the traits of an effective communicator.

He calls it the 3C Method, and it's a philosophy that he swears by. A combination of lessons learned from his world-class acting teachers, four years in the U.S. Navy, a past career advising CIOs, teaching at UNH, and running his own small business, the 3C Method is the North Star for a man whom I believe may just be the most interesting man on the Seacoast.

On this Veterans Day, Michael Cinquino joins me at the Portsmouth Public Library to discuss:

• How I met Michael Cinquino (00:00)
• Michael's Navy background (03:55)
• Pursuing a career in acting (16:53)
• How to support "Seacoast Stories" (21:34)
• How acting changed Michael's life (22:45)
• The lost art of listening (28:48)
• Gen Z's communication skills (36:36)
• The 3 Cs of effective communication (44:32)
• How to get more confidence (54:18)
• What's your mission? (01:03:12)

Michael Cinquino is the CEO of Soho Creative Studio, a remote agency that captures content and designs strategies for small businesses. A veteran with four years of Navy experience, Michael graduated with a MFA from Rutgers, a degree he took to New York City to then pursue a career in acting. He moved to the Seacoast in 2020, and he now also works as an adjunct professor at the University of New Hampshire. Michael also hosts the "Performance Anxiety" podcast.

To find out more about Michael's services, please visit SohoCreativeStudio.com⁠ or ⁠@michaelcinquino on Instagram.

This podcast is hosted, written, researched, and produced by Spotify's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Troy Farkas⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. To support this show, please leave a review of "Seacoast Stories" on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠our Apple Podcasts page.⁠⁠ Details on last week's contest will come out Wednesday on the @seacoaststoriespodcast Instagram account.

*For tickets to support Troy at the Catapult Seacoast "10 to Watch" event on Wednesday at The Press Room, ⁠⁠⁠click here.

We all want to be our own bosses.

Honestly, who actually enjoys taking orders from somebody else? Don't we all spend most of our days dreaming and scheming about all the better ways we could spend our time, if only we could work up the courage to take the leap?

Today's guest, Andrea Schwanbeck, is all too familiar with that inner dialogue. She engaged with it for years, waiting and waiting for the right time to dive into the unknown.

But when a COVID layoff blindsided her, Andrea was left with no choice but to finally go all in on herself, even if it meant she had to pay a premium for health insurance as a Type 1 diabetic.

In this week's conversation from Brass Tacks Photography in Portsmouth, and in celebration of Diabetes Awareness Month, my friend Andrea joins me to discuss:

• Andrea's start in photography (00:00)
• Diabetes diagnosis (06:36)
• Andrea's career prior to Brass Tacks (15:32)
• Wedding photography (23:15)
• A fun show announcement! (26:14)
• An unforgettable story (27:32)
• Our relationships with T1 Diabetes (31:19)
• Opening the Brass Tacks Studio in Portsmouth (46:50)
• Building a brand (51:21)
• What's your mission? (55:25)

Andrea Schwanbeck is the owner of Brass Tacks Photography, a studio located in the heart of downtown Portsmouth. Originally from Andover, Mass., Andrea graduated from Bentley University with a degree in finance. Before pursuing a full-time career in luxury wedding photography, Andrea worked in radio advertising and jigsaw puzzle licensing, among other things. A former collegiate swimmer, Andrea is also a proud Type 1 diabetic.

To find out more about Andrea's services, please visit BrassTacksPhotography.com or @brasstacksphotography on Instagram.

This podcast is hosted, written, researched, and produced by Spotify's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Troy Farkas⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. To support this show, please leave a review of "Seacoast Stories" on ⁠⁠⁠our Apple Podcasts page.⁠ To enter the contest mentioned in the podcast, please DM @seacoaststoriespodcast.

*For tickets to support Troy at the Catapult Seacoast "10 to Watch" event on Nov. 13 at The Press Room, ⁠⁠click here.