From the time she was a 7th grader in rural Minnesota, Deb Core knew she was passionate about livestock judging. Her mentors in 4H inspired her to pursue a path that would lead her to build a new layer on a family farm's legacy here in Pleasantville and become the first woman to judge the famous American Royal Steer Show in 2023. But beneath a growing tower of accolade and prestige is a humble, Jesus-loving woman with a feed bucket and a warm smile. When it comes to hard work, Deb sets the standard. As a member of the Pleasantville community, Deb has been an advocate, mentor, and friend to many. Her love for God and people has been demonstrated in her generosity, wise words, and open arms.

Emily and Jennie sit down with Deb to talk about her life and passions. She shares wisdom with us on faith, raising kids, and the rewards of living a sacrificial and hard working life.

And, we even picked a GenZ word of the pod just for her! Find out what your GenZ teen means when they use the word, "Slaps"! If you're a member of the livestock showing community, you'll know why we picked THAT word in particular.

Read more about Deb and her family farm in this article.

Check out the farm Facebook Page: Boyert-Core Show Cattle

Mr. Wilkins: A name which shall live in Pleasantville infamy. A name which nearly anyone who attended middle school at PCSD holds with both reverence and fondness. Why? Because Mr. Tom Wilkins is the kind of teacher you remember. The kind of teacher who has high expectations for his students, but who also has high hopes for his students.

Mr. Thomas Wilkins has been teaching English at Pleasantville Middle School for 27 years. Ask any PCSD middle school alumni what they remember about Mr. Wilkins, and they'll give you at least one story, if not many, that will make you laugh and say, "I wish I had a teacher like that."

We sit down with Mr. Wilkins to talk about his career in teaching and why he has chosen to teach middle school for nearly three decades. He shares advice for parents and community members to help us understand this age group better.

We also share our personal memories with Mr. Wilkins and reminisce a bit about how things have changed and the greatest challenges middle school students are facing today.

We had a BLAST talking with Tom and hearing his philosophy on life and teaching! We know you'll enjoy hearing it too! And hey, let's make common sense common again!

Don't fall asleep, or you're cooked! (see our guide to GenZ speak here)

Tara Williams is a Pleasantville girl through and through and she is BACK to her hometown as the Pleasantville Community School District's Activities Director. Tara sits down with us to talk about being a life-long learner, how athletics helped keep her on track in high school, her faith, family, and so much more!

Whether you've just met Tara this year or you've known her since pre-school, you'll love hearing her perspective and laughing along with us as we hear all about her journey to where she is today.

Other links:

PVILLEYI Building Project

If you would like to help the Goodale family, you can find ways to do that here.

If you would like to watch the prayer night video mentioned in this podcast, you can watch it here.

Eric Goodale, the self-proclaimed mayor of Beech, has lived in the Pleasantville area for nearly two decades now. He and his wife Brenda have raised their three children: Elizabeth, William, and Grace, in the Pleasantville Community School District. After working for Youth Homes for 20 years, Eric began working at The Well in Knoxville, where he serves people in crisis and in need every day. His expertise in care for others earned him a spot on Pleasantville Youth Initiative's board from day one.

Recently Eric underwent emergency brain surgery and was confronted with a possibly terminal cancer diagnosis. This news shocked everyone who knows and loves Eric and the Goodale family, and the community's response was immediate. Prayer gatherings and meal trains began. But so did a lot of questions. Questions like, how could this happen to such a good person? Why would God allow someone who does such good things to suffer in this way?

Eric has been sharing his story and his faith with his community from the moment of his diagnosis, which as of this podcast posting, was only three weeks ago. His joy has been so evident that people have been reaching out to him for encouragement, love, and reassurance.

We wanted to give Eric a platform to answer some of the questions the community has been asking him, and asking God.

This podcast is longer than usual, but we felt it was important to let Eric share his story fully (or as fully as possible in little less than two hours).

You will be blessed by Eric's story, his faith, and his perspective.

We're back with a new episode featuring some pretty AWESOME Pville Class of 2023 grads Olivia Anthony and Craig Fallis! This episode is full of awesome advice and lots of laughs!

Pville Founding Father descendent Liv and Self-Proclaimed Mama's Boy Craig sit down with us to talk about the transition from high school to college. Leaving home isn't always easy, and coming back to your hometown isn't always easy either. These two share their perspective on their first year and share advice for upcoming graduates who will be walking that path in the future. Their thoughts on what it's like to go from a small school where you know everyone to a big college is pretty interesting!

In addition, Craig and Liv share about their long friendship and the people who have been major influences in their lives. Craig credits "Mama Jeanie" Gilderbloom for some important life lessons and Liv shares about how her mom has demonstrated grace and taught her to live a life of kindness.

Other things discussed:
Hurricane Debbie
Lisa Bluder
Pville History
Barb Wilson
Pametha
Career Paths
Life Changes
Making Friends

This is a must listen episode. ENJOY!

Madilyn Rowson is a senior at PHS and the captain of Pleasantville's first ever girls wrestling team. We got to sit down with her and talk all things wrestling! We discuss how the sport has impacted her and what she loves most about it. We also talked about how Girls Wrestling is confronting the long-held and deeply rooted stigmas around weight and body image. Girls Wrestling is only in its second year as a sanctioned sport in the state of Iowa, and it is growing rapidly! We are so proud of Madilyn's courage, leadership, and willingness to share her heart and her faith with anyone who needs it. Let's Go Trojans!

We're back with another Jennie and Emily Chat! We like to throw these in between interview episodes whenever we can. In today's episode, we talk about the ingredients of Pumpkin Spice and just WHY it might be so addicting (lookin at you nutmeg). We share the results of the buzzfeed quiz: "What Cozy Fall Sweet Treat Matches Your Personality" (you can take it here). And we do an improvised commentary on the verse of the day from the YouVersion Bible App, which happened to be Hebrews 6:11.

Also, we try what is supposed to be the most difficult tongue twister in the english language. Hmmm.... Enjoy!

Summer is over and we are BACK with another Ope There It Is interview! If you don't know Mike Fust, you'll want to after this chat. Mike is hilarious and full of love for the Pleasantville Community.

We talk about, well, a LOT. This interview was a long one. But as you listen, you'll see why! Mike has a lot of good things to say about Youth Ministry, Fine Arts, and so much more. And trust us when we say, you will ENJOY listening. Prepare yourself for many side conversations that are sure to make you laugh.

Mike is co-host of a podcast called "Live From The Path". We LOVE this show and had to add in one of our favorite Live From The Path Segments: Dear Live From The Path, in which a "Dear Abby" letter is read as if it was sent to the co-hosts, and they give their answers. They then compare their answers to the answer that was given by the "expert". We had to give it a try!

A little about Mike:
He and his wife Jerra have two girls, Grace and Ella. They have lived in Pleasantville for about 10 years now, calling it home. In that time they have come to serve both as volunteers and supporters of Pleasantville Youth Initiative, the Pleasantville Fine Arts Boosters, the Webb Shadle Library, and much more. Mike also leads a small youth group gathering that meets Wednesday nights at the library.

We are so grateful to call Mike friend! We hope you enjoy this interview!