Rent is due, daycare is expensive, the car needs gas, and somewhere in the middle of all that a single parent is supposed to finish a degree. We sit down with Frankie Rankin from the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas to talk about what actually helps parents stay in school and why the real obstacles are rarely academic. We unpack how their single parent scholarship program works from application to interviews, including the community volunteer panels that turn a stressful ...

We talk about the winding path from a psychology degree at the University of Arkansas to weekend childcare at a children’s shelter, and how that “temporary” choice turns into a real calling in nonprofit work, social services and community impact. Frankie also shares what it feels like to step into the CEO seat at the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas after years of learning fundraising, development and endowment campaign work from the ground up. She’s honest about walking ...

You can’t fake a venue that feels effortless. Ashley Starnes, owner of Osage House, joins us to share how one of the most sought-after wedding venues and event venues in Northwest Arkansas came to life, starting with 54 acres, a blank page, and a lot of listening. She walks us through the early research meetings with planners, photographers, caterers and DJs that shaped the core requirements: real capacity, true versatility and natural light that makes every photo look like a magazine spread....

Northwest Arkansas feels like it grows overnight, and sometimes the weirdest part is realizing you still haven’t explored the place you call home. We’re joined by Ashley Starnes of Osage House for a wide-ranging, very real conversation that starts with summer break logistics (two-boy households know) and turns into what it’s like to watch Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and Bella Vista transform from open stretches of green into a packed, opportunity-filled region. We als...

Bentonville isn’t supposed to feel like a film capital, and that’s exactly why the Bentonville Film Festival works. We’re joined by Twilla Brooks to unpack how BFF has evolved over 12 years into one of the most welcoming, intimate and mission-driven film festivals in the country, rooted right here in Northwest Arkansas. We get into the real “why” behind BFF: Geena Davis’ passion project built to amplify underrepresented stories by women and people of color, in front of the camera and behind ...

Maycember is real, and if you’ve ever stared at your calendar wondering how 12 events landed in one week, we’re right there with you. We’re talking straight from the messy middle of the end-of-school-year sprint: field trips for every grade, sports banquets, award ceremonies, teacher appreciation, spirit days, graduation parties and the nonstop “friendly reminder” emails that somehow turn into “last call” overnight. We also get honest about the emotional side. May isn’t just chaotic, it’s te...

Mother’s Day doesn’t just “get busy” at a flower shop. It becomes a full-scale logistics puzzle with real stakes: freshness, timing and the emotion tied to the moment. We’re back with Tricia Upshaw of Shirley’s Flower Studio in Rogers, and she walks us through what it actually takes to serve a whole community when Mother’s Day flower orders surge past expectations. We dig into how a local florist plans months ahead, why wholesale deadlines and price increases matter, and how Mother’s Day des...

She bought the flower shop, then immediately ended up doing the least glamorous owner task imaginable: pushing a van out of the snow. That’s how we kick off a real conversation with Tricia Upshaw, the new owner of Shirley’s Flowers on the edge of downtown Rogers, and one of the most respected floral designers in the region. We get into the origin story of Shirley’s Flowers, how a small local florist grew into a 50-year community staple, and why the best businesses don’t just sell products, th...

Skip the tux and keep your hands free, you’re going to want to touch everything. We’re joined by Jennifer Martinez Belt, Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville, to map out what makes the Amazeum UnGala one of the most talked-about fundraising events in Northwest Arkansas: it’s casual, fast-moving, and designed around play, not speeches. We dig into the why behind the UnGala and how the dollars translate into real community impact, especially expanding access to...

You can learn a lot about a community by the way it treats kids and the caregivers raising them. We sit down with Jennifer Martinez Belt, the philanthropy and fundraising leader at the Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville, to talk about the work that makes a children’s museum more than a fun stop - it becomes a place where families across Northwest Arkansas can actually belong. Jennifer pulls back the curtain on what it takes to keep admission affordable and expand access through programs lik...