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 — https://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 — https://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

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

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

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