the weekly seattle

2. Downtown Seattle office values decline

the business of hospitals with Dr. Elizabeth Wako - CEO, Swedish Health Services

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0400

This week we pull back the curtain on the business side of healthcare: how hospitals actually make money, why our bills are high yet hospitals are doing layoffs, and what it was like to step into the CEO role as an interim first. Dr. Elizabeth Wako, President & CEO of Swedish Health Services, also shares how a simple idea in the delivery room dropped C-section rates for women of color from 44% to 27%.

commercial banking, downtown office leases, and small business loans with Mary Knell - Vice Chair, Wells Fargo

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0400

This week we're talking all about the banking industry with former CEO and current Vice Chair of Wells Fargo Commercial Banking. Mary Knell shares a jaw-dropping fraud story that cost a local company millions mid-deal, gives her honest take on what small businesses are up against right now, and her opinion on the what the Sonics returning could do for our economy. All of this and your top news stories!

Top Stories:

1. Inside commercial banking: fraud, cybersecurity, and what banks wish you understood

3. Blazing Bagels closes all five locations after nearly 25 years in business

4. NBA owners expected to vote on Seattle Sonics expansion

About Mary Knell - Vice Chair, Wells Fargo Commercial Banking:

Mary Knell has over 40 years of financial services experience and is a lifelong Seattle native. She serves on the Washington CEO Roundtable Board, the Greater Seattle Partners Executive Board, and is co-president of the International Women's Forum. She also sits on the board of the Museum of Flight and is a University of Washington alumna.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

New federal contractor rule

freelance life, the future of work, and blended teams with Brea Starmer - Lions & Tigers

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0400

We're talking about how the workforce is changing and what that means for Seattle. In this episode we talk about why 40% of the American workforce is now freelance and will be 50% by 2027. We talk about how to find your first clients, what companies get wrong about blended teams, and why the "stability" of a W-2 job might be a myth. We also dig into the data on women leaving the workforce and what organizations can actually do about it. All of this and your top news stories!

2. Amazon invests $50 billion into OpenAI (& the government drama)

3. The future (now) of work

Why some employees aren't taking PTO despite experiencing burnout

Hybrid Workplace Playbook by Lions & Tigers

About Brea Starmer — CEO & Founder, Lions & Tigers:

Brea started Lions & Tigers seven years ago after being laid off while seven months pregnant. She has built the company into a flexible fractional workforce firm serving everyone from startups to enterprise clients, headquartered in Bellevue, WA. She is also a former PSBJ 40 Under 40. Learn more at lionsandtigers.com

About host Rachel Horgan:

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

1b. FIFA 2026 preparations and economic impact on Seattle businesses

downtown seattle revitalization, FIFA prep, and CCTVs with Jon Scholes - DSA

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 13:35:00 -0400

This week we're talking about everything happening in downtown Seattle with the President and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association. Jon shares the latest data on downtown recovery, plus what's coming next, including a $50 million investment in parks and changes to 3rd Ave. We also dive into how Seattle is preparing for FIFA 2026 with 700,000 expected visitors, watch parties across downtown, and new flexible alcohol laws. And we dig into the controversial public safety camera debate and why Jon believes they're working.

2. Public safety camera expansion debate and why DSA supports it

3. Benaroya Hall $20 million renovation closing July-September

About Jon Scholes - President & CEO, Downtown Seattle Association:

Jon Scholes is responsible for the operations and programs of the DSA, an 1,100 member association formed in 1958 to create a healthy, vibrant downtown for all. He was appointed President & CEO of DSA in November 2014 following six years as DSA's Vice President of Advocacy and Economic Development. Jon serves on the boards of Visit Seattle, the International Downtown Association, and Downtown Emergency Services Center. He is the host of Seattle City Makers, a podcast launched in 2022. He is a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow and attended University of Texas in Austin before graduating form the University of Washington.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

1. Seattle Seahawks are for sale

100th episode (& 2yrs) with Seattle Times reporter Alex Halverson and friends

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 09:00:00 -0400

It's guys night at Rachel's house for the 100th episode AND 2 year anniversary! The very first episode was recorded at her house with Alex Halverson, so we felt it was only right to return to the living room with him. We recap the top business news stories and then at the end we bring in Nick Patri, audio engineer for the podcast and Rob Smith, the 3rd guest on the pod, to reflect on the past two years of the show.

Top Stories:

2. An old trolley might be coming back to Ballard

3. Highspot merges with competitor Seismic

4. Pacific Science Center to sell IMAX theater to Space Needle

Guests:

Alex Halverson - Tech Reporter, Seattle Times (1st guest)

Nick Patri - Audio Engineer and Podcast Consultant

Rob Smith - Executive Editor, Formidable (4th guest)

About host Rachel Horgan:

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

2. Seattle shipyard on Harbor Island to be acquired by French private equity firm

tech journalism, selling your company, and black innovation with Sherrell Dorsey - Build for Good

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 01:35:00 -0400

We're talking about what it takes to build a media company from scratch, sell it, and figure out what comes next. We also dig into AI bias and why the data these tools are trained on matters, especially for underrepresented communities. Our guest Sherrell Dorsey founded The Plug, a tech news platform covering the Black innovation economy that became the first Black-owned publication syndicated on the Bloomberg terminal before being acquired by Impact Alpha. She shares what she would do differently, what she learned interviewing major CEOs on the TED Tech Podcast, and why storytelling is the most underrated skill in business. All of this and your top news stories!

3. XAI and OpenAI expand office space in Bellevue

4. T-Mobile lays off nearly 400 Washington workers

About guest Sherrell Dorsey — Author, Host of TED Tech Podcast, Principal of Build for Good:

Sherrell is a data journalist and entrepreneur who founded The Plug, a tech news platform focused on the Black innovation economy. The Plug became the first Black-owned publication syndicated on the Bloomberg terminal and was later acquired by Impact Alpha. She is the author of Upper Hand and host of the TED Tech Podcast. Through Build for Good she advises early stage tech and climate founders on storytelling and messaging.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

3. Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores to close

inside the gaming industry with Jordan Weisman - Endless Adventures Inc.

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 12:03:00 -0400

The gaming industry is estimated to be over $200 billion, bigger than music and movies combined. Our guest is game designer Jordan Weisman who has had four exits including one to Microsoft and one to Disney. In this episode we talk about why we're seeing so many studios closing, how designers approach structuring games with monetization models in mind, and why VR is always almost the next best thing.

All of this and your top news stories!

2. Layoffs: Meta, Amazon, Eddie Bauer, Expedia

About host Rachel Horgan:

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

2. Denny Triangle project makes progress

Light rail to Bellevue, James Beard semifinalists, Rainier Brewing building, and more!

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 16:22:00 -0400

This week host Rachel gives a quick update on the state of the show and what's to come for 2026. She also recaps on the top 5 business stories of the week including a new light rail, unique attraction in Denny Triangle project, tap-to-pay coming to busses and more!

Enjoy this short episode before we return with our regular programming next week.

3. James Beard semifinalists

4. Light rail opens March 28

5. Tap to pay coming to Orca transit

About host Rachel Horgan:

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

2. Uwajimaya expands to Tacoma

creative agencies & commercials with Sam Farquharson - Creative Director, Ampersand

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 18:01:00 -0400

This week we're talking about the intersection of AI and creativity. Are copywriters still needed in corporations? We talk to Creative Director Sam Farquharson on her copywriting pet peeves, what some companies get wrong when designing a commercial, and her current tiktok spiral. All of this and your weekly news recap!

3. Blue Star Cafe closes

4. Cider updates: Locust Cider shuts down taprooms & Seattle Cider is acquired by Two Towns

5. Microsoft's response to AI data center opposition

About Sam Farquharson - Creative Director/Lead Writer, Ampersand:

Sam is the Creative Director and Lead Writer for Ampersand as well as the Commercial Director for the production arm of Ampersand. She has a long history of working as a copywriter and creative director for a variety of well known companies including REI.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

2. Publisher of Seattle Times passes the torch to his son

audio visual production and succession planning with Niki McKay - Blue Danube Productions

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 17:04:00 -0400

The founder of one of the fastest-growing private companies in Washington shares her story of how she created this audio visual production company in her garage, her worst event horror story, and how she thought about succession planning as she sold her company last year. Niki McKay has over 20 years experience running large scale events around the world including clients like Macklemore, Alaska Airlines, and more. In this episode Rachel and Niki also discuss the price gouging happening in the industry due to a monopoly, and what needs to be done about it.

All of this and your top local business news stories!

Top Stories:

1. Inside the audio visual production industry

3. Seattle Ferries: wi-fi coming, new ferries, and ferries for sale!

4. Ross is closing its downtown location

About guest Niki McKay - Founder & former CEO of Blue Danube Productions:

Niki started her company in 2007 in her garage. She has successfully ran Blue Danube Productions until she sold it late last year. Blue Danube was recognized as the #1 fastest-growing woman-owned companies in the state in 2023 and again this year. It was also ranked ranked the second fastest-growing private company in the state by the Puget Sound Business Journal in 2023.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

leadership coaching for 2026 with Suzanne Weller - Coach, Consultant, Speaker, Podcast Host

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 09:00:00 -0400

New year, new us! This is a special episode with Executive & Leadership Coach Suzanne who helps us identify our own poison riptides that might be creating a toxic workplace on accident! She gives advice for those looking to branch out into consulting as well as what leaders need to do when approaching a big change in 2026. If you're thinking of quitting your job, she also helps us figure out how and when to do that. All of this along with Rachel and Suzanne's highs and lows of 2025.

About Suzanne Weller - Founder, Coach, Consultant, Weller Collaboration:

Suzanne launched her consulting company in 2018 and worked as the Change Management & Organizational Effectiveness Consultant for Slalom. She runs private leadership coaching, group workshops, keynotes, and more! Prior to this, she held sales leadership roles at Getty Images before becoming their Senior Director of Organizational Change Management. Learn more at https://wellercollaboration.com/

About host Rachel Horgan:

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

3. Expedia to acquire online booking platforms

week of dec 22: the business of travel with Leigh Barnes - Intrepid Travel

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 15:56:00 -0400

The holidays are a big time for travel, so we sat down with the President of the Americas of Intrepid Travel to talk all about this industry. We cover their latest partnership with REI, how travel has changed over the years, and the most popular countries to travel to. All of this and your weekly news update!

2. New Alaska Airlines routes

4. Wild Waves Theme Park to shut down

About guest Leigh' Barnes - President of the Americas, Intrepid Travel:

Leigh has worked for Intrepid for the past 15 years and was named the President of the Americas about a year ago. He is also the Publisher of Adventure.com which is a adventure news platform.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Visit Seattle press release

week of dec 15: the business of museums with Scott Stulen - Seattle Art Museum

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 12:19:00 -0400

The CEO of SAM joins us for a conversation on the unexpected realities of running a major museum, the unique costs, and the bold changes coming to SAM including a full restaurant and bar, expanded hours, and a fresh approach to attracting repeat visitors.

We also talk FIFA coming to Seattle and how Scott plans to capitalize on the global spotlight. As the only art director of a major museum with a studio art background, Scott brings a radically different perspective. About a year and a half into the role, Scott is ready to shake things up!

Top Stories:

1. The business of museums

Seattle Times article and PSBJ article

2. FIFA games in Seattle announced

3. Chateau Ste. Michelle has a new owner

About guest Scott Stulen - CEO, Seattle Art Museum:

Prior to coming to Seattle about a year and a half ago, Scott was the CEO of the Philbrook Museum in Tulsa and was a curator at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Not only does he have a long history of working in leadership positions within the arts, he is also an artist and DJ himself!

About host Rachel Horgan:

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Formidable article about Jen

week of dec 8: restaurants & women's sports with Jen Barnes - Rough & Tumble

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Rough & Tumble JUST opened a new location in Columbia City so we brought back the Founder & Owner to fill us in on the behind-the-scenes of what it's like opening a second location of her iconic sports bar in Seattle. Jen Barnes shares what challenges she had to overcome to be able to stream women's sports in her restaurants and the legal battle she got into with HBO. We talk about how the minimum wage increase has impacted her business, why many restaurants are combining themes/entertainment with their brick and mortar, and how Seattle is preparing for FIFA! You'll also hear the exclusive story of how she put a basketball court floor in her bar...

All of this along with your top news stories.

Top Stories

1. Rough & Tumble opens second location in Columbia City

2. Picklewood opens in SODO

Eater article & Seattle Times article

3. The Ink Drinker opens in Ballard (no article)

4. Pike Brewing closes locations in Pike Place & affordability issues for small businesses

About guest Jen Barnes - Founder & Owner, Rough & Tumble:

Three years ago, Jen Barnes launched one of the world’s first sports bars dedicated to elevating both women’s and men’s sports. Since then, she has partnered with more than a dozen teams and leagues, become a part-owner of Seattle’s Salmon Bay FC women’s soccer team, and is now preparing to open Rough & Tumble’s second location. Before founding the bar, Jen built her career in the corporate startup and legal industry.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of nov 24: the business of gyms with Jean-Luc Pedanou - Olympic Athletic Club

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 12:14:00 -0400

We sit down with the General Manager for Olympic Athletic Club to learn all about how the gym industry has changed over the years and what makes this one so unique. We talk about the demand for amenities, their recent renovation, the importance of good talent, and much more. All of this along with your weekly business news roundup!

Top Stories:

1. The business of gyms

2. Rad Power Bikes might shut down

3. BECU merger & Perkins Coie merger

PSBJ article (BECU) & PSBJ article (Perkins Coie)

4. Starbucks strike update

About guest Jean-Luc Pedanou - General Manager, Olympic Athletic Club:

Jean-Luc has been the General Manager for about a year and a half. Prior to this he was the General Manager at an Equinox in Northern California and held leadership roles at The Bay Club in San Francisco. He has also worked in leadership at many fitness clubs in New York.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

2. Barnes & Noble returns to downtown

week of nov 17: inside the Seattle Torrent with Meghan Turner & Madi McNamara

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0400

We talk to the General Manager & the Director of Business Operations for the Seattle Torrent, the newest team added to the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). In this episode, we discuss why the PWHL ownership is unique, why they are playing the first season without the new jerseys, why the head coach was chosen, and how they plan to collaborate with the other major sports teams here. All of this and your top business news stories!

3. FRS Clipper partners with Seahawks

About guest Meghan Turner - General Manager, Seattle Torrent:

Meghan was a professionally player herself and built a career as a consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers. She then became the Assistant General Manager of the Boston Fleet prior to landing this role at Seattle Torrent.

About guest Madi McNamara - Director of Business Operations, Seattle Torrent

Madi has a long history working in sports, specifically at Seattle Sports Commission for close to five years, as well as working at Visit Seattle our CVB before stepping into this role.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

In Seattle, art rises from ashes as cremation gains popularity (Seattle Times)

Learn more about Top of the Tower Recording Studio: www.topofthetowerstudios.com

week of nov 10: the business of death with Katrina Spade - Recompose

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0400

We talk to the Founder & CEO of a company that pioneered human composting as an alternative to burial or cremation. Katrina shares how she went from architecture school to creating this company that ultimately allowed Washington to be the FIRST state to legalize this practice in 2019. Today 14 states have legalized this new option. In this episode we also talk about how the death industry is changing, how she plans to scale, and her biggest architecture fear.

All this and your top business stories!

Top Stories

1. The business of death

Seattle funeral directors worry we’re running out of space to care for our dead (Seattle Times)

2. Crocodile closes 2 venues

Goodbye to Madame Lou’s and Here-After (The Stranger)

3. Urban Visions acquires Grand Central Block

Urban Visions buys Pioneer Square's Grand Central Block at steep discount (PSBJ)

About guest Katrina Spade - Founder & CEO, Recompose:

Recompose is a company that pioneered human composting as an alternative to burial and cremation. Katrina has her masters degree from UMass Amherst where she developed the concept that led to Washington becoming the first state to legalize this in 2019. Prior to this she was a co-founder of a design build company.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

3. Heritage Distilling closes tasting rooms

week of nov 3: Linda Hoffner - Wright Runstad & Company

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 17:58:00 -0400

As the GM of The Spring District, Linda brings us the inside scoop on the commercial real estate industry as well as interesting details like how the retail shops were chosen for this neighborhood and how she partnered with the city of Bellevue for success. All this and your top stories!

Top Stories:

1. Update on The Spring District

2. Amazon (and Meta) layoffs

4. Little Saigon landowner sues the city

About guest Linda Hoffner - General Manager, The Spring District, Wright Runstad & Company & Host, Whatever She's Having podcast.

Linda has a long history of working in commercial real estate. She is on the board of Rainier Athletes, Bellevue Chamber, Eastrail Partners, and is the President-Elect for CREW. She is a 425 and PSBJ 40 Under 40 and a 425 Magazine Woman to Watch. She is also a former Mrs. Washington for the Mrs. America competition!

Watch Whatever She's Having podcast!

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

2. Live Nation CEO thinks ticket prices can be higher

week of oct 27: inside the music industry with Ben London - Sonic Guild

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Washington's music sector directly contributes $6.4 billion annually to the state's GDP, six times more than spectator sports. We sit down with longtime music industry businessman and current CEO of Sonic Guild Ben London to discuss everything from ticket prices, why we can't go back to the 90's, what the city needs to do to help musicians thrive.

3. Broadway actors and producers reach tentative labor deal, but musicians still threaten a strike

4. Ceramics nonprofit moves into Amazon headquarters building

About guest Ben London - CEO, Sonic Guild:

Ben has been leading Sonic Guild, a non-profit organization that supports local musicians for the past 7 years. Prior to this role he was the Executive Director of the PNW chapter of The Recording Academy, he was on the board of KEXP, he was the first Chair of the Seattle Music Commission, and he was instrumental in developing what is now MoPop.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

2. Microsoft donating AI tools for Washington state schools

LIVE: Challenging Assumptions about AI

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Rachel plays the audio from her panel discussion with prominent AI professionals in Seattle discussing our assumption in this space and the race to innovate. This event was held on October 3rd at World Trade Center by Emily Parkhurst of Formidable. It featured multiple panels during this half-day event. Your weekly business news roundup is still at the beginning of the episode!

The Race to Innovate

Speakers:

Arry Yu, managing director of Yellow Umbrella Ventures, chair of the Advanced Technologies Council for the Washington Technology Industry Association
Ziyan Huang, applied science leader, Amazon
Elaine Chang, technical advisor to the chief communications officer, Microsoft

Learn more about Formidable: www.beformidable.com

3. More restaurants close including Mbar

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

2. More emergency drones to be built in Seattle

week of oct 13: Adam Karpenske - Hot Tub Boats

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 09:00:00 -0400

The Founder & CEO of Hot Tub Boats explains how he came up with this unique idea to create the first hot tub boat ever in Seattle, WA. Adam talks about how he funded the project, the lessons he learned along the way, and his recent expansion into California. We also talk about production challenges with the new tariffs, who he will sell his boats to, and so much more!

All this and your top business news stories.

Top Stories:

1. The business of hot tub boats

3. Smartsheet layoffs and new CEO

4. KidsQuest Museum to buy Bellevue Arts Museum building

About guest Adam Karpenske - Founder & CEO, Hot Tub Boats:

Adam earned his degree in Maritime Studies and Marine Carpentry and has been working as a shipwright (a shipbuilder) ever since. In 2012 he started the company we know today here in Seattle as Hot Tub Boats.

Rachel's event for queer women:

Saturday, October 18th

Reverie Ballroom

7pm: Social Hour

8pm: Show

9:30pm: After Party

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of oct 6: Mari Horita - Seattle Kraken & One Roof Foundation

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 15:38:00 -0400

We're on the hockey rink with the SVP of Social Impact & Civic Affairs for Seattle Kraken and Executive Director of the Kraken's nonprofit One Roof Foundation Mari Horita. This episode covers the behind-the-scenes of the Memorial Stadium renovation project, how one meeting changed her career from President of ArtsFund to her current position, and what conversations are being had in the boardroom of Seattle Credit Union. Lastly, we discuss her top takeaways from working in the arts industry.

All this and your weekly business news roundup!

Top Stories

1. Memorial Stadium update

2. Starbucks layoffs and store closures

3. Heritage Bank to acquire Kitsap Bank

4. Mariners leaving ROOT Sports

5. The role of Bellevue's creative

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Rachel's event for queer women:

Saturday, October 18th

Reverie Ballroom

7pm: Social Hour

8pm: Show

9:30pm: After Party

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of sept 29: Eliza Wilder - Reverie Ballroom

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 13:19:00 -0400

Eliza recently took over as CEO of this historic 1908 Capitol Hill venue from the former owner of Century Ballroom. In this episode we'll talk about how to balance executing your own vision, while still paying tribute to what made the venue successful before. We learn from her remodeling hiccups and why there were construction delays, we discuss the different business models for arts venue spaces, and finally we get vulnerable about how lonely being an entrepreneur can be. All this and your weekly top business news stories!

Top Stories:

1. Reverie Ballroom opens in Century Ballroom space

2. Multiple experiential entertainment venues open

PSBJ article and another one about a Rage Room

3. Woodinville hotel opens after construction delays

4. New CEOs: Hawaiian Airlines, Darigold, and T-Mobile

Hawaiian Airlines, Darigold and T-Mobile

About guest Eliza Wilder - CEO & Owner, Reverie Ballroom:

Eliza has her BFA in Theater Directing from Cornish College of the Arts and has spent the past decade producing sold-out theater and circus productions, directing large-scale corporate events, and founding High-Fidelity Fusion, and international dance festival. She's a lifelong dancer, award-winning filmmaker, and a nationally recognized dance instructor. She took over as owner of this historic space earlier this year. Learn more: https://www.reverieballroom.com/

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Rachel's event for queer women:

Saturday, October 18th

Reverie Ballroom

7pm: Social Hour

8pm: Show

9:30pm: After Party

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

COMM338: Media & Conflict - Professor Esteban Del Rio, University of San Diego

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 09:00:00 -0400

In this special episode, Rachel visits her alma mater and interviews her former media professor to talk all things media. This episode will feel like you're right back in a college classroom trying to make sense of the world. They talk about how media consumption has changed over the years, why we are so divided and the role media plays, and when we stopped trusting media. They also discuss topics like the recent cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel and what that means for our democracy. Lastly, they discuss how we perceive the value of college now and whether it is worth the investment.

About guest Esteban Del Rio, PhD - University of San Diego

Esteban del Río is professor of communication at the University of San Diego and serves as the director of the Frances G. Harpst Center for Catholic Thought & Culture. Prior appointments at USD include associate provost, advisor to the provost for faculty affairs, director of the Center for Inclusion & Diversity, and department chair.

del Río holds a Ph.D. in communication from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His primary research is in Latino media studies. He currently teaches Media & Conflict (COMM 338) and Communication Integration Experience (COMM 492).

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

2. Rough & Tumble to open second location in Columbia City

week of sept 15: Michelle Merriweather - Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle & Black Future Co-Op Fund

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 11:19:00 -0400

This week Michelle, CEO of ULMS and Co-Founder of BFCF dives into the nonprofit world. She discusses how her organizations collaborate with Washington state government, the story behind BFCF’s Reign jersey sponsorship, and the evolution of workforce development. And as always, your top news of the week.

Top Stories:

1. How Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle impacts the city

3. xAI to open Seattle hub for engineers & Microsoft new RTO policy

About guest Michelle Merriweather - CEO, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle & Co-Founder, Black Future Co-Op Fund

Michelle joined Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle in 2015 and stepped into the CEO role in 2018. She co-founded the Black Future Co-Op Fund in 2020. She was recognized as a Puget Sound Business Journal Woman of Influence, and recognized on the Power 100 list. Michelle serves on several boards, including United Way of King County, KUOW, the Alliance for Education, and the Downtown Seattle Association. She is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Rachel's event for queer women:

Saturday, October 18th

Reverie Ballroom

7pm: Social Hour

8pm: Show

9:30pm: After Party

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

2. Climate Pledge Arena switches to reusable cups

week of sept 7

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 09:00:00 -0400

It's just Rachel this week recapping the Seattle business news. She also gives a personal life update (hello Mayoral debate?!) and a teaser for upcoming guests.

3. HomeStreet Bank merges with Mechanics Bank

4. Former AWS CEO goes to private equity

5. Waymo is coming to Seattle

6. Lumen Field updates

Rachel's event for queer women:

Saturday, October 18th

Reverie Ballroom

7pm: Social Hour

8pm: Show

9:30pm: After Party

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

1. Bro-PO: More IPOs, less women

week of sept 1: the return of Rob Smith - Formidable (& formerly Seattle Magazine)

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Longtime journalist Rob Smith is back in the studio! He was the Executive Editor for Seattle Magazine/Seattle Business Magazine when we recorded our 3rd ever episode. And now he returns to talk about his career shift to Formidable, his take on billionaires owning media companies, and why Seattle has the most expensive Ubers. In honor of Bumbershoot happening, we also recap the business history of this iconic festival.

Top Stories:

2. King 5 and KONG owner Tegna to be acquired

3. New rewards program and facial recognition for Alaska Airlines

4. Uber Eats pays $15M to Seattle in settlement

5. Cannonball Arts opened downtown

About guest Rob Smith - Executive Editor, Formidable:

Rob has a long history of journalism. He was the Editor-in-Chief at the Portland Business Journal, moved into the Editor-in-Chief role at the Puget Sound Business Journal. Then he was the Executive Editor for Seattle Magazine and Seattle Business Magazine before his recent move to Executive Editor for Formidable – a media and membership company.

Rachel's event for queer women:

Saturday, October 18th

Reverie Ballroom

7pm: Social Hour

8pm: Show

9:30pm: After Party

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

4 Washington grapes save BC wineries after freeze

week of aug 25: Leigh McMillan - Whitepages

Sun, 24 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0400

The CEO of Whitepages enlightens us about the importance of sharing information in order to have a source of truth, the rise and fall of ReachNow, and we connect over our shared passion for a Ponzi scheme story.

2. More tech layoffs: Oracle, F5, T-Mobile

3. Everett man indicted for Ponzi scheme (and this article)

About guest Leigh McMillan - CEO, Whitepages:

Leigh joined Whitepages in 2017 to lead its consumer division. Two years later, she became CEO, steering the company through a new phase of growth. Before Whitepages, Leigh led marketing and growth at fast-moving startups like Avvo, which she helped grew one of the internet’s largest legal marketplaces, and ReachNow, BMW’s U.S. mobility service. Earlier, she led communications for the Seattle Mariners during the high-stakes campaign for a new ballpark and served as National Finance Director for U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell.

Outside of the office, Leigh is an investor in Seattle-area funds, including the Allen Institute’s AI2 incubator, and serves on the board of the Transparency Coalition, a non-profit advocating for responsible development of AI technology. She is also co-owner and winemaker at her family’s winery, Welcome Road, and is an active supporter and former board member of Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

3. Changes in labor market for tech grads

week of aug 18: Jasmine Donovan - Dick's Drive-In

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 09:00:00 -0400

The President & CEO shares with us how she chooses locations for new stores, why there's not a veggie burger on the menu, and if we will see seating back in the Queen Anne store. We also cover the unique challenges of leading a family business as a member of the third generation, how the minimum wage increase impacted the business, and how she feels it is not the right time for the proposed B&O tax change.

2. Smartsheet and First Fed CEO step down

4. Opinion: B&O Tax

Additional article referenced:

PSBJ article about changes in labor market
Op-ed by Rachel Smith

My friend's businesses:

Hairdresser: Charlie at Beehive Salon in Queen Anne

Massage Therapist: Kat Murray in Eastlake

About guest Jasmine Donovan - President & CEO, Dick's Drive-In

Jasmine is the granddaughter of founder Dick Spady. She grew up in the family business working on and off since 16, officially joining the executive team in 2013 and taking over as President from her father, in 2019. She is also a Navy veteran with degrees in math, chemistry, and business. Jasmine serves on the boards of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the Rainier Club, and Evergreen Operating Companies.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

1. The business of performance art

week of aug 11: James Robinson - Seattle Opera

Sun, 10 Aug 2025 09:00:00 -0400

The General & Artistic Director of the Seattle Opera shares how the business model of the opera, and arts organizations as a whole, have changed over the years. We talk about why producing an opera is expensive, how leaders should approach funding as an investment rather than a charity gift, and lastly he dispels the myth that the opera is just for the elite.

All of this along with breaking down Starbucks moving away from pick-up only stores and Zillow being sued. Again.

Top Stories

2. Starbucks to shut down pick-up only concept

3. CoStar sues Zillow over copyright infringement

About guest James Robinson - General & Artistic Director, Seattle Opera:

James took over as the General & Artistic Director in September 2024. Prior to this, James was the Artistic Director at the Opera Theater of Saint Louis where he commissioned 11 world premieres. As a stage director, he has also directed at least 75 new productions at the world’s top theaters. James is the 5th person to lead the Seattle Opera in the 61 year history.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of aug 4: Tess Wakasugi-Don, GLY Construction

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 09:00:00 -0400

As the Principal of a construction company, Tess shares with us why construction projects can get behind schedule, how building in Seattle compares to other cities, and why she's diversified her company portfolio in recent years. All of this along with breaking down the lawsuit over the Microsoft project, opening of pier 58, and the second sale of Convoy.

Top Stories

1. Construction industry update

no article

2. Pier 58 opens

3. Contractors sue Skanska Balfour Beatty over Microsoft project

4. Convoy sells again

About guest Tess Wakasugi-Don - Principal, GLY Construction:

Tess started at GLY as an intern and worked her way up to a Principal and has been with the company for 20 years now. She is also the President Elect of NAIOP (a professional commercial real estate organization). She is on the board of Seattle Children’s Foundation as well as ACE (architecture, construction, engineering) Mentor Board. Tess was a Puget Sound Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of july 28: the return of Caitlin Braam - Yonder Cider

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 15:14:00 -0400

It's Yonder's 5 year anniversary so we brought the Founder & CEO Caitlin back to the studio to share what's changed since we last talked, how the tariffs are affecting her business, the sometimes tricky relationship between small businesses and the city, and lastly, how we feel about virtual reality.

Top Stories

1. Trader Joe's coming to Northgate

2. Impact of tariffs

PSBJ articles

3. Bus only lanes in Fremont & Ballard

4. New mixed reality theme park

About guest Caitlin Braam - Founder & CEO, Yonder Cider:

Caitlin founded Yonder Cider in 2020. Prior to this she worked at Angry Orchard as a Brand Strategist and before that she was the President of Seattle Cider Company & Two Beers Brewing. She has years long history of working in PR and broadcast journalism. www.yondercider.com

Yonder 5th Anniversary Party

Saturday, August 16th

12pm-10pm

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of july 21: Dominique Alex - Mary's Place

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 09:00:00 -0400

As the CEO of the largest shelter in Washington state serving families experiencing homelessness, Dominique shares what Mary's Place is doing to serve our community and how things have dramatically changed since 2019. She talks about their strategic three pronged approach to help those in need, the impact of decreased federal funding, and why a housing first model has been successful. She also busts certain myths or assumptions many make about people experiencing homelessness. All this along with your roundup of top Seattle business news stories!

Top Stories:

1. Housing first program reveals positive data

Real Change article

2. Legislation proposed to protect the homeless

3. Youth shelter closes and CEO steps down

Seattle Times article (CEO)

Seattle Times article (closes shelter)

4. Starbucks announces new in office policy

PSBJ article or Seattle Times article

About guest Dominique Alex - CEO, Mary's Place:

Dominique Alex has been in the role of CEO at Mary’s Place for about two years. Before that, she was their Chief Program Officer. She’s also held leadership roles at Children’s Home Society of Washington (now known as AKIN), worked as a Head Start education specialist, an autism behavior based therapist, and was an adjunct faculty member at Goddard College.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of july 14: Chad Mackay - Fire & Vine Hospitality

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 14:59:00 -0400

The CEO of Fire & Vine Hospitality joins us to talk about the restaurant industry and especially the impact of the minimum wage change that took effect in January. Should all restaurants implement a mandatory service charge? Is there a place for dive bars in Seattle anymore? As the Founder of Brigado, a tech hospitality company, Chad also explains why he's declared war on credit card fees and where he thinks the solution is to avoid these ever increasing costs. Lastly, as the co-founder of Third Door Coalition, Chad shares his experience in trying to solve chronic homelessness and why he ultimately shut down that business.

Top Stories:

1. Whale Wins to close & Sea Creatures employees unionize

Eater article (Whale Wins)

Eater article (Union story)

2. Little Red Hen faces lease termination

3. Microsoft layoffs again

4. Seattle being sued over mandatory affordable housing

About guest Chad Mackay - CEO, Fire & Vine Hospitality and Founder & CEO, Brigado:

Chad took over his father’s El Gaucho business as CEO in 2013 and has since turned it into Fire & Vine Hospitality which owns locations throughout Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Portland, Vancouver, Walla Walla soon to be Idaho. Chad co-founded Third Door Coalition which saught to solve homelessness in Seattle and he is also the founder & CEO of Brigado. He is currently on the board of Visit Seattle and previously the chair of the Washington Hospitality Association.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of july 7: Ryan Neal - Blueprint Technologies

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 14:23:00 -0400

As the Founder & President of a tech consulting/data analytics company AND a former lawyer, Ryan has a lot of interesting perspectives on the news of this week. We debate the controversial B&O taxes and what it really means to pay your "fair share". Ryan shares why going public used to be his dream and why it no longer is. He also makes some bold predictions on the future of Salesforce. Lastly, we dive into intellectual property laws: Does duping a product makes a creator more innovative? What should the role of government be to protect entrepreneurs?

Top Stories

1. Blueprint & Sigma form partnership

Business Wire article

2. B&O taxes debate

3. Seattle startup raises $15M to compete with Salesforce

4. Lululemon sues Costco

About guest Ryan Neal - Founder & President, Blueprint Technologies:

Ryan has led this company for close to 13 years. He is also the Managing Partner at Pendulum Partners, a private equity company. Prior to these roles, he was a managing partner at a law firm, owner of an athletic club, and owner of a windows & doors company.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of june 30: Lindsay Horgan (Fletcher) - The Sister Episode

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Rachel's older sister joins the NY hotel "studio" to break down the top news stories and share some of her own about what it was like growing up with Rachel and what it's like being a high school teacher.

Top Stories:

1. Leadership changes: USAFacts, Rover, Perkins Coie, Kaiser Permanente

2. Live Nation eyes new venue

3. Compass sues Zillow

4. Grocery store updates: Bartell Drugs, QFC, PCC, Whole Foods

About guest co-host Lindsay Fletcher - Teacher:

Lindsay has been teaching for 17 years. She teaches English as a new language as well as Spanish to high schoolers. She is also a nationally board certified teacher. Lindsay lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two kids.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

mid-year economic outlook: Matthew Gardner - Gardner Economics

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 09:00:00 -0400

The former Chief Economist for Windermere helps us understand how the economy is doing amongst the tariff and immigration changes at a federal level. He also shares interesting data on the job market and housing in Washington state. We ask him what people looking to buy a house should know, if he sees us heading towards a recession, and so much more in this special mid-year economic outlook episode.

Matthew Gardner - Principal & Chief Economist, Gardner Economics

Matthew Gardner is the Principal and Chief Economist at Gardner Economics in Seattle. Prior to this he was the Chief Economist for Windermere. With nearly three decades of experience in U.S. and U.K. real estate markets, Matthew draws on a background in econometrics to forecast housing trends and guide strategic decisions. He chairs the UW Washington Center for Real Estate Research, sits on the Washington Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors, and lectures in forecasting at the University of Washington.

Venue:

Thank you to Columbia Tower Club for allowing us to record this episode at the Top of the Tower Studios!

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of june 16: Chris Ackerley - Ackerley Sports Group

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0400

This week we're talking the business of sports! Co-founder Chris Ackerley shares his insights about owning the Sonics, trying to buy a rugby team, and much more!

Top Stories:

1. Ackerley Sports Group bids on rugby team

Sportcal article

2. Hockey updates in Seattle

Seattle Times article (PWHL)

PSBJ article (Kraken coach)

3. Memorial Stadium updates

PSBJ article & MSN article

4. LinkedIn CEO gets another role

About guest Chris Ackerley - Ackerely Sports Group

Chris is the Managing Director and co‑founder of Ackerley Partners, a private investment firm in Seattle. Formerly President of The Ackerley Group, he helped steer the firm through its public company merger Clear Channel. Together with his brother, he launched Ackerley Sports Group in 2023, investing in major sports ventures like the Seattle Kraken, Seattle Storm. Chris also acts as a board director & advisor across multiple companies.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of june 9: Patti Hearn - Seattle Pride

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 09:00:00 -0400

It's Pride Month! We talk to the Executive Director of Seattle Pride about the change in corporate sponsorships since the new administration, her decision to publicly announce the budget shortfall, and what she sees for the future of Seattle Pride. She also helps break down the news of a new Molly Moon's location, colleges merging, and a private equity acquisition.

Top Stories:

1. Seattle Pride update

Seattle Pride statement (2022)

2. Molly Moon's opens waterfront location

3. Seattle U and Cornish merge

4. Acumatica acquired by private equity

About guest Patti Hearn - Executive Director, Seattle Pride:

Patti has worked as the Executive Director of Seattle Pride for about two years. Prior to that she founded a consulting company and was also an adjunct professor for Seattle Film Institute. She has a long history of working in education like founding and heading the Lake Washington Girls Middle School and was the interim Head of School for Seattle School of Boys. She has her masters in Education and has served on several boards including The Bush School.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of june 2: Lisa Howard - Alliance for Pioneer Square

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 09:00:00 -0400

As the Executive Director, Lisa gives us an update on the state of Pioneer Square, how the org is preparing for FIFA, and the unique way they are helping small businesses.

Top Stories:

1. State of Pioneer Square

Seattle magazine article and KNKX article

2. Sound Transit testing light rail on I-90

PSBJ article or The Urbanist article

3. New taxes on businesses

4. Glass elevator at Space Needle

Alliance for Pioneer Square website

About guest Lisa Howard - Executive Director, Alliance for Pioneer Square:

Lisa has been with the non-profit organization Alliance for Pioneer Square for 17 years! She earned her masters in Business from UW’s Foster School of Business and her first job was working as a seamstress.

Free waterfront shuttle schedule

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of may 26: Alejandro Grajal - Woodland Park Zoo

Sun, 25 May 2025 09:00:00 -0400

We're back with an inside look at the zoo! President & CEO Alejandro Grajal walks us through how they raised $120M for their new exhibit, the impact of decreased tourism from Canada, and his philosophy on why zoos are so important to our society.

Top Stories:

1. Woodland Park Zoo's new exhibit after $110M campaign

Fox13 article

2. International tourism is down in Seattle

3. Microsoft to lay off 2,000 Seattle employees

GeekWire article or PSBJ article

4. Nordstrom is officially a private company

About guest Alejandro Grajal - President & CEO, Woodland Park Zoo:

Alejandro has led since 2016 as only the eighth director in its 117-year history. He oversees more than 350 staff and all aspects of zoo operations, from exhibits and programs to fundraising and community partnerships. Prior to Woodland Park Zoo, he held senior roles at the Chicago Zoological Society, the National Audubon Society, and the Wildlife Conservation Society, focusing on conservation leadership and education.

A published author with over 45 scientific and popular works, Alejandro also leads the Climate Literacy Zoo Education Network (CliZEN). He’s received numerous honors, including the George B. Raab Medal for Conservation Leadership, and is an accomplished wildlife artist whose work has been exhibited nationally.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Amid tariff turmoil, Glowforge turns to Seattle for new production factory — with help from AI (Geekwire)

week of may 12: Dan Shapiro - Glowforge

Sun, 11 May 2025 10:48:00 -0400

We're talking entrepreneurship, production facilities, and acquisitions with the founder and CEO of Glowforge - Dan Shapiro. As we break down the top stories of the week, he also shares how he came up with the idea of a 3D laser printer, how the tariffs are going to impact his business, and what he got wrong about Rover.

Top Stories:

1. Glowforge makes production changes

2. Tutta Bella expands Kroger deal

Tutta Bella ramps up production after landing major Kroger deal (PSBJ)

3. Rover acquires Dublin company

Rover expands international footprint with purchase of dog-sitting platform (PSBJ)

4. Rite Aid/Bartell Drugs bankrupt, again

Why the new Rite Aid bankruptcy could kill Seattle’s Bartell Drugs (Seattle Times)

About guest Dan Shapiro - CEO, Glowforge:

Dan is an innovator and entrepreneur with over 60 patents to his name. He was the founder and CEO of Ontela that merged with Photoboucket. He was the founder and CEO of Sparkbuy, which was then acquired by Google to become Google Comparison. He is also the founder and creator of Robot Turtles, a best selling board game as well as a Senior Research Fellow at Wharton Generative AI lab.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of may 5: Julia Nagele - HEWITT

Sun, 04 May 2025 09:00:00 -0400

We're talking all things architecture, design, and tall buildings! Julia is responsible for shaping Seattle's skyline with her signature skyscrapers like Skyglass in SLU. We find out how she is able to push the boundaries of what's possible, her thoughts on sustainability, and her most impactful piece of architecture that changed the course of her life.

Top Stories

1. Belltown high-rise sells for over $100M

2. Pioneer Square hotel to be carbon positive

3. Developer to start Ballard mid-rise apartment project

4. Bill to end landmark abuse likely to pass

About guest Julia Nagele - Senior Principal and Director of Design and Architecture at HEWITT:

Julia brings more than 20 yrs experience shaping complex urban environments. She has won many awards for her skyscrapers in Seattle. She also serves as an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the UW’s College of Built Environments. Prior to this, she ran her own interior design company.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Salt n Straw (Seattle Times)

week of april 28: Joey Thompson - formerly Puget Sound Business Journal

Sun, 27 Apr 2025 13:09:00 -0400

Former restaurant and retail journalist Joey Thompson joins us to talk about what new restaurants are opening and which ones are closing. We also cover sports updates, new rules at Pike Place, and the state of journalism.

Top Stories

1. Restaurant updates: Salt & Straw, Raising Cane's, Eden Hill, and more

Raising Cane's (PSBJ)

Eden Hill closes (Seattle Eater)

Rapport reopens as Nomadic (Cap Hill)

2. Sports updates: Kraken, Storm, Seawolves

Kraken head coach changes (PSBJ)

Kraken changes season ticket holder packages (PSBJ)

Storm media deal (PSBJ)

Marshawn Lynch joins rugby ownership (PSBJ)

3. Pike Place banning cars in test run

Pike Place Market banning most vehicle traffic in test run (Seattle Times)

4. Crosswalk buttons hacked

Seattle crosswalk buttons hacked to sound like Jeff Bezos; SDOT exploring 'stronger security measures' (GeekWire)

5. Everett Herald moves offices

Everett Herald to relocate to smaller space in wake of layoffs last year (PSBJ)

About guest co-host Joey Thompson - PR Manager of Meetings, Visit Seattle (formerly reporter for Puget Sound Business Journal):

Joey started as reporter for the Daily Herald of Everett then became the restaurant and retail reporter at the Puget Sound Business Journal before moving to his current role as the PR Manager of Meetings for Visit Seattle. Joey graduated from Gonzaga, where he was the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of april 21: The return of Coral Garnick Ducken - Madrona

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Former journalist and VC firm content expert Coral Garnick Ducken returns to the studio to help us understand the top business stories of the week!

Top Stories

1. Two new grocery stores, one restaurant closes

Trader Joe's draws hundreds to line up for grand opening (Seattle Times)

PCC says downtown Seattle store to reopen this summer (Seattle Times)

Virginia Inn, Seattle restaurant that predates Pike Place Market, will close (Seattle Times)

2. Status of venture funding in Q1

Seattle venture funding surges in first quarter (PSBJ)

Filing: Seattle VC firm Ascend raising third fund to back more startups in Seattle and beyond (GeekWire)

Seattle's newest investment group aims to break down silos between angel investors, VCs, founders (GeekWire)

3. Blue Origin lands DOD contract (and women flight)

Blue Origin lands $2.8 billion contract with DOD (PSBJ)

Blue Origin's all-female space mission sends celebrities and scientists on a suborbital trip (GeekWire and elsewhere)

4. Microsoft & Amazon want to remove middle management

Microsoft reportedly eyes layoffs targeting middle managers (PSBJ)

Amazon CEO Jassy blasts company bureaucracy in shareholders letter (Seattle Times)

5. The future of content consumption with AI

The future of media is intelligent and interactive: How AI will change how we consume content (GeekWire)

About guest co-host Coral Garnick Ducken - Digital Editor, Madrona:

Prior to her current role as Digital Editor for Seattle VC firm Madrona, she was a content writer for Blueprint Technologies. Before that she was the Associate Editor at Puget Sound Business Journal after leaving Seattle Times as a business reporter. Coral earned her masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of april 14: Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange - UW Tacoma

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Development site on Tacoma's waterfront hits the market

2. WA college students' visas revoked

3. What's next for The Swiss building?

The News Tribune article

4. Duke's Seafood on Alki is closed

Eater Seattle article

About guest Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange - Chancellor, UW Tacoma:

Sheila has been the Chancellor at UW Tacoma for just about 4 years. Prior to this she was the President of Seattle Central College and before that Vice President of University of Washington. Sheila is currently the Board Chair for AAA Washington and on the Federal Reserve Board.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of april 7: Stephiney Foley - Yuzi Care

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Army vet launches maternal-care startup

2. What cuts to research means for us

Formidable article

3. Mark Cuban backs Seattle startup & Amazon bids on TikTok

NY Times article

4. Two new alliances: STG & 5th Ave Theater and Seattle Center & PacSci

Seattle Times article (5th Ave & STG)

GeekWire article (Seattle Center & Pacific Science Center)

About guest Stephiney Foley - Founder & CEO, Yuzi Care:

Stephiney is a certified doula and an Army veteran. She went to West Point, graduate school at Stanford and earned her MBA from Dartmouth. She spent a decade working in tech at companies like Tesla, Amazon, and an NFT startup she co-founded. She's an angel investor and sits on the board of Athena Angels. Stephiney founded Yuzi Care two years ago with the mission to build the world's largest maternal care platform and change how society supports mothers and families.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Thank you Sponsors!

Formidable

This episode is sponsored by Formidable - news through a women's lens. Sign up for daily newsletters at beformidable.com. Formidable also offers white label newsletter service. For more information contact Emily Parkhurst at emily@beformidable.com

The Inn at Washington Athletic Club

Thank you to The Inn at the Washington Athletic Club for hosting this recording. For more information contact Noura Boudet at nboudet@wac.net

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

LIVE from the Northwest Event Show: Cheryl Cecchetto - former planner of Emmy and Oscar events

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0400

This episode is a clip from the Northwest Event Show where Rachel sat down with Cheryl Cecchetto - Founder & CEO of Sequoia Productions. Cheryl and her team are responsible for putting on high-end Hollywood events inlcuding the Academy Awards and Emmys Awards Governors Balls in Los Angeles (for 33 and 28 years, consecutively), The American-Australian G’DAY USA Arts Gala (22 years), and L.A. Philharmonic Annual Gala for 6 years.

Please enjoy this keynote session titled "A Peak Behind the Hollywood Curtain: Oscars, Emmy's, and more!" that took place Thursday, March 27th at 9:00am at Seattle Convention Center.

Learn more about the Northwest Event Show: https://nweventshow.com/

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of march 24: Craig Dawson - Retail Lockbox

Sun, 23 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. New sports bar by Climate Pledge

2. Inside the e-book industry

3. Google to make its largest acquisition

NY Times article

4. Remitly co-founder steps down

About guest Craig Dawson - Co-founder & President, Retail Lockbox

Craig co-founded Retail Lockbox in 1994 with the help of his partner, Walt Townes. Prior to founding Retail Lockbox, Inc., Craig was a Senior Sales Executive with Unisys Corporation, an international provider of computer and system solutions. He also serves on numerous boards that include Boise Cascade, Washington Trust Bank, McKinstry, Pearson Packaging, and UW Consulting and Business Center.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of march 17: Poppy MacDonald - USAFacts

Sun, 16 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Why do we do daylight savings?

USAFacts article

2. Redfin to be acquired by Rocket Companies

3. Cheesecake Factory to close

4. Pike Place Foundation Executive Director resigns

USAFacts article & Seattle Times article

5. Tariffs

About guest Poppy MacDonald - President, USAFacts

Poppy MacDonald is the President of USAFacts, a non-profit initiative that provides well-visualized data on the American people and their government. Before joining USAFacts in 2018, Poppy was the President and Chief Operating Officer of POLITICO USA and she also served as the President of Atlantic Media.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

BONUS: anniversary episode with Nick & Sarah

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Rachel brings back her audio engineer (Nick Patri) and a loyal listener (Sarah Donaldson) to talk about their favorite moments over the past year, behind the scenes from recording, and what it was like at the anniversary party. We even get to hear a few confessions....Enjoy this bonus content!

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

best of season 1: advice

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0400

This episode we revisit some of our favorite pieces of advice from our guests over the past year! Use this extra time to catch up on any episodes you missed and we'll be back next week with our regular show.

Advice:

Jake Whittenberg - Morning Anchor, King5 - Listen to full episode
Fran Dunaway - Founder, tomboyx - Listen to full episode
Don Riling - President, Olympic Hot Tub - Listen to full episode
Amber Simonsen - Founder, A Better 40 - Listen to full episode
John Cook - Founder & Publisher, GeekWire - Listen to full episode
Nicole DeNamur - Owner, Sustainable Strategies & Owner, Climate Aligned Law - Listen to full episode

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of march 3: Lindsay Droz & Kristi Lord - L'AVANT

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Starbucks to lay off 1,100 corporate employees

2. Seattle tech company adds to C-suite

Seattle Times article or Sounders Press Release

3. Sounders will give away tickets to first timers

4. Pickleball chain coming to Fremont

Seattle Magazine article or PBSJ article

About guest co-hosts Lindsay Droz and Kristi Lord - Co-founders, L'AVANT:

L’AVANT sells bougie, eco-friendly cleaning products with plant based ingredients like hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, multipurpose spray and more. Lindsay and Kristi started this company about 5 years ago. Lindsay has a sales and marketing background and worked in the medical device world, specifically for Boston Scientific for 15 years. Kristi worked in finance and investments and was the COO of an Asset Management company prior to L’AVANT.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of feb 24: Bindiya Patel - Leadership Tomorrow

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:36:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. PATH cuts workforce

2. Joann closes 60% of its stores

NPR article

3. New data from Amazon's RTO

4. Zillow and Redfin partner, leads to layoffs

Wall Street Journal article & Seattle Times article

5. The state of DEI in business

About guest Bindiya Patel - Executive Director, Leadership Tomorrow:

Bindiya has been with Leadership Tomorrow for about one year. Prior to that she spent close to 20 years with PATH, a global health nonprofit based in Seattle. She received her bachelors in environmental engineering from Cornell University and a masters in Public Affairs from Princeton University.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of feb 17: Nick Patri - Podcast & Marketing Consultant

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Martin Selig defaults on loans

2. Canlis brother and chef leave

Seattle Met article

NY Times article

3. Memorial Stadium update

4. Two movie theaters close

Seattle Times article (Ark Lodge Cinemas)

Seattle Times article (AMC 10)

5. SODO might have housing

About guest co-host Nick Patri - Podcast & Marketing Consultant:

Nick started as a Sports Reporter at the Wisconsin State Journal, then he worked for Uber and launched a podcast for millions of drivers. He was a podcast producer for GoFundMe, a podcast producer and marketer for Fuel Talent’s podcast What Fuels You, a producer and marketing consultant for REI’s podcast, and he continues to freelance as a marketing strategy consultant.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of feb 10: Dave Siegfried - Official AI

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. YouTube partners with CAA to combat deepfakes

Variety article

2. Microsoft and OpenAI's response to DeepSeek

GeekWire article & GeekWire podcast

3. Smartsheet bought by private equity

4. New UW President

5. Wildrose owner passes away

About guest Dave Siegfried - Founder & CEO, Official AI

Dave has been with Offical AI for about a year, prior to that he was CEO and Co-founder of LOANtuitive, a venture-backed AI enabled marketplace in commercial real estate industry. He spent a considerable amount of his career at Audiosocket, a venture-backed music licensing and technology company, and was a co-founder of SkyMode, a cloud based mobile e-commerce platform.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of feb 3: Ambika Singh - Armoire

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Funding levels drop for women founders

Formidable article

2. The business of subscription boxes

no article

3. Seattle shipping company closes

4. RTO: Companies re-thinking dress codes

About guest Ambika Singh - Founder & CEO, Armoire

Ambika launched Armoire, a clothing rental company, in 2016. Prior to this she worked in consulting, various startups like Rover, and also Microsoft. She is on the board of United Way of King County. She received her undergraduate degree in History/Economics/Microfinance at Dartmouth and her MBA at MIT.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Capitol Hill Seattle Blog

week of jan 27: Ken Horenstein - Pack Ventures

Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:36:00 -0400

Top Stories

1. TikTok update

AP News article and PSBJ article

2. The state of the VC industry

VCs in 2024 (PSBJ)

VCs in 2025 (GeekWire)

3. Meta to layoff 5% based on merit

CNBC article

4. Capitol Hill's Rapport closes

About guest Ken Horenstein - Founder & General Partner, Pack Ventures:

Ken has been with Pack Ventures for 4 years. Before that he was a co-founder of Venture Out Seattle, and prior to that worked at M12 which is Microsoft’s Venture fund. He earned his MBA at UW and is currently a Mentor for CoMotion at UW. He also co-founded A Posto Vino and is a sommelier.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Insurance Business Magazine article

week of jan 20: Lorrie Baldevia - AssuredPartners

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Gallagher to acquire AssuredPartners

2. JCPenny and Eddie Bauer parent company to merge

3. Porch shifts to homeowners insurance

4. REI shuts down Experiences, layoffs

About guest Lorrie Baldevia - Platform President, AssuredPartners:

This is Lorrie's 25th year with AssuredPartners. She is currently on the global board of Finseca, a financial services organization. She previously served on the board of M Financial Group and Seattle University. She co-founded EnVision, a youth program that supports unique field trips for STEM. And she founded "GM Dinner for Great Mom’s", an annual Mother's Day event for homeless and disadvantaged mothers.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of jan 13: Alison Beddard - Cushman & Wakefield

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 12:44:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Apple takes over Meta office space

2. Zoom coming to Bellevue

⁠GeekWire article⁠

3. Historic Pioneer Square building sold

4.Getty Images acquires Shutterstock

⁠GeekWire article⁠

About guest Alison Beddard - Managing Principal, Washington & Oregon, Cushman & Wakefield

Alison has worked for commercial real estate company Cushman & Wakefield for close to 20 years. She was the Managing Principal for Utah, then Washington, and most recently has added Oregon almost 2 years ago. She serves on the UW Runstad Advisory Board and is on the Executive Committee for the Commercial Brokers Association (CBA).

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of jan 6: Don Riling - Olympic Hot Tub

Sun, 05 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Retail industry trends in 2024

2. Bartell Drugs in U Village closing

3. Party City closing

CNN article

4. Nordstrom goes private

About guest Don Riling - President & Owner, Olympic Hot Tub

Don has been President & Owner of Olympic Hot Tub for 8 years and has worked at the company for close to 30 years. Prior to arriving at Olympic, he had a long retail career which included Jay Jacobs, The Disney Store and Nordstrom. Outside of work Don has been a member of the Seattle Men's Chorus since 1987 and he wrote a book as well!

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

managing burnout, how to take a vacation, and other workplace tips with Amber Simonsen

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 09:00:00 -0400

We're bringing back some great workplace advice by republishing one of the most downloaded episodes of the weekly, featuring Amber Simonsen - Founder of A Better 40 and Director of Passenger Service Systems Integration for Alaska Airlines.

About guest Amber Simonsen - Commercial Portfolio Director, Alaska Airlines & Founder, ⁠A Better 40⁠

Amber has spent the bulk of her career as a professional project manager, and being the go-to person for getting the big ideas turned into a reality. And while she loves the thrill of synthesizing complex information, building a great plan and getting things done, she likes helping others succeed even more.

That’s why she started A Better 40. The lessons she's learned from consulting in the tech field, leading major system design change for government organizations, and delivering game changing products for one of the country’s favorite airlines are TOO good not to share.

Learn more ⁠https://abetter40.com/⁠

Buy her book Next Week Will be Better: Amazon

About Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Show Links:

Tamara Murphy Passing

New Starbucks CEO

⁠Seattle NOW podcast episode⁠

Burnout

⁠FRIED podcast⁠

Contact:

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of dec 23: Nicole DeNamur - Sustainable Strategies & Climate Aligned Law

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. What is a "healthy" building?

No article

2. Amazon doesn't have enough space for RTO

3. Hyatt Lake Washington sells after bankruptcy

About guest Nicole DeNamur - Owner, Sustainable Strategies and Owner, Climate Aligned Law:

Nicole is the owner of Sustainable Strategies which provides sustainability consulting services. She is also the owner of Climate Aligned Law, a climate focused law firm. She is an Affiliate Instructor at UW in the Deptartment of Real Estate and she is a former board member of AIA (American Institute of Architects).

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of dec 16

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Solo episode! News - where are they now?!

Top Stories

1. Visit Seattle - event recap about FIFA 2026

2. Kroger Albertsons update

3. Expedia spy cameras update

4. HomeStreet Bank and FirstSun merger update

PSBJ article (analysis)

5. iCap Ponzi scheme update

6. Boeing layoffs

PSBJ article (layoffs)

PSBJ article (737 production)

7. Seattle colleges merge

8. FTC vs Doxo lawsuit update

OPENINGS

Museum of Illusions - open now

WeRise Wines - ALMOST ready

In-n-Out - "by 2025"

Other

Sara Silverman TikTok

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Capitol Hill Seattle Blog

week of dec 9: Elaina Morris - Ascend Hospitality Group

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Voodoo Donuts comes to Seattle

2. Local sushi place re-opens after viral TikTok

3. The restaurant minimum wage debate

4. Seattle can't recycle glass due to one company

About guest Elaina Morris - Founding Partner, President & CEO, Ascend Hospitality Group

Elaina has been President & CEO of Ascend Hospitality Group for about eight years which represents Ascend Prime Steak and Sushi in Bellevue and is the parent company of Stanford's. She was also the founder of the indoor playground WiggleWorks Kids. And before that, she had a history in the corporate world as Global Account Management. Elaina serves her community as a trustee on the Washington Hospitality Associations’ Education Foundation, Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, as well as Rainier Athletes, and is a member of YPO Seattle.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of dec 2: Emily Cantrell - Seafair

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. New Seafair leadership

2. Mayor wants fewer cars in Pike Place

Seattle City Council Blog

PSBJ article (more local visitors)

3. Potential legislation for night clubs

4. Are corporations actually helping non-profits?

PSBJ article (opinion piece)

About guest co-host Emily Cantrell - President & CEO, Seafair

Prior to being the President & CEO of Seafair, she was the COO and then interim CEO of PROVAIL, a multi-million dollar non-profit serving those with disabilities. She was the VP of Operations and Strategy at Greater Seattle Partners which is a public-private partnership to improve the region’s economic development. Then a host of hospitality/tourism jobs and if you scroll back far enough, a news producer for KOMO TV!

Emily was a Foundation Board Member for the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, she is currently on the board of the World Trade Center and on the board of the Washington State Chapter of International Women’s Forum known as IWF – where you have to be the highest ranking woman in your organization to even be a part of.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of nov 25: Alex Halverson - Seattle Times

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. FTC might come after Microsoft

Seattle Times article (Alex's article)

2. Elysian closes Georgetown location

3. SLUT stays, for now

4. Capital gains tax stays

Seattle Times article (WA tax - Alex's article)

Seattle Times article (Seattle tax)

5. Sears is closing

About co-host Alex Halverson - Business Reporter, Seattle Times

Prior to his role as a Business Reporter at Seattle Times he was a Tech Reporter at the Puget Sound Business Journal and a Senior Producer at Seattle PI. Alex has also been featured on KUOW's Week in Review.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

post election therapy

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 09:00:00 -0400

In this special episode, Rachel sits down with with a therapist to help her sort out her post election emotions. She is joined by Alex Iani - Therapist for King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (and her old roommate).

The one story we cover: Boeing strike ends

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of nov 4: Jake Whittenberg - King 5

Sun, 03 Nov 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. The role of TV news in politics

no article

2. Jeff Bezos pulls Washington Post endorsement

Jeff Bezos statement

3. CEO accused of fraud skips town

Seattle Times article (update)

4. Boeing workers deny offer

5. New semi-pro Ballard soccer team

MyBallard article

About guest co-host Jake Whittenberg - Morning News Anchor, King 5

Jake has been working at King 5 for about 15 years. Prior to this he was a reporter/anchor in Columbus, Ohio and in Billings, Montana. He was also a Puget Sound Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree in 2020.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of oct 28: John Cook - GeekWire

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. How GeekWire started and the state of journalism

no article

2. Uber interested in acquiring Expedia

3. Microsoft and OpenAI relationship rocky

GeekWire article and NY Times article

4 AWS CEO says something controversial

GeekWire article and Seattle Times article

5 Laser weed company raises $70M

About guest John Cook - Co-Founder & Publisher, GeekWire

John launched GeekWire in 2011 with co-founder Todd Bishop. Prior to this he had a long history of working in tech journalism.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of oct 21: Caitlin Braam - Yonder Cider

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 14:39:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Ethan Stowell to open pickleball club

2. Yonder Cider: From garage to taproom

No article

3. Nordstrom talks about theft

4. China Harbor returns

About guest Caitlin Braam - Founder & CEO, Yonder Cider:

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of oct 14: Maureen Wiley Clough - It Gets Late Early Podcast (the ageism episode)

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories

1. New walkway opens downtown

2. Gen Z getting fired quickly

Yahoo Finance article

3. Pokemon to open a museum

4. Avalara to move offices

About guest Maureen Wiley Clough - Founder & Host, It Gets Late Early podcast

Maureen founded the It Gets Late Early podcast about aging in the tech industry about a year and a half ago. Prior to that, she was the head of partnerships at UpKeep and was the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Conga. In terms of Seattle companies – she’s worked at Pitchbook, Zulily, and Concur. She also worked for Lumatax, which was one of the companies Pioneer Square Labs invested in.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of oct 7: Vivek Ladsariya - Pioneer Square Labs

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Smartsheet to sell to private equity

2. Electric boat engine company enters receivership

3. Deep fake startup gets $6.7M

4. NVIDIA acquires Seattle AI startup

About guest Vivek Ladsariya - Managing Director, Pioneer Square Labs

Vivek is a Managing Director at Pioneer Square Labs which is a venture capital fund founded in 2015. Prior to this, he was the General Partner at SineWave Ventures in San Francisco and has founded a few of his own companies. Vivek holds an MBA from Yale University and a B.Eng in Electrical Engineering.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of sept 30: Gordon McHenry Jr. - United Way of King County

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Boeing opinions

2. Bellevue affordable housing

Gordon's opinion piece

3. 3rd Ave lights & Stay Out zones

Seattle Times article (lights)

Seattle Times article (stay out zones)

4. Zulily being sued over layoffs

About guest Gordon McHenry Jr. - President & CEO, United Way of King County

Gordon has been President and CEO of United Way of King County for 5 years. Prior to that he served as the President and CEO of Solid Ground, an anti-poverty nonprofit. Prior to that he was the Executive Director at Rainier Scholars and spent years as the Director of External Affairs at Boeing.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of sept 23

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 11:58:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Amazon requires 5 days in office

2. PCC returns downtown

3. Boeing strike updates

4. Alaska Airlines & Hawaiian Airlines merge

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of sept 16: Trae Holiday - Converge Media

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Changes to WA bar exam

2. Nordstrom trying to go private

Bellevue Arts Museum Press Release

3. Bellevue Arts Museum closes

4. Ethan Stowell/Rubenstein lawsuit

5. Middle school cell phone ban

About guest Trae Holiday - Host & Producer, Converge Media

Trae is the Host of “The Day with Trae” where she interviews community leaders, musicians, politicians and more. She is also the Host of Equity Rising podcast where she connects with racial justice organizers across the world. Prior to that she has a history of working in media, theater, and studios. www.whereweconverge.com

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of sept 8: Tony Gavilanes - Tech Event Pro

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Port of Seattle outages

2. Umpqua Bank Seahawks suite level

3. Hotel workers on strike

4. Largest fundraiser in the region

5. Seattle Rep layoffs

About guest co-host Tony Gavilanes - Founder & CEO, Tech Event Pro

Tony founded TEP almost 20 years ago. In 2010 he also founded Copious Love Productions, a nonprofit theater production company. Prior to that he held leadership roles for a variety of AV and production companies. Throughout his career he has also worked as a professional host for events.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of aug 26: Maria Colacurcio - Syndio

Sun, 25 Aug 2024 08:24:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Zillow CEO steps down

2. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines merger makes progress

3. Understanding pay equity through data

⁠Bloomberg article⁠

4. Companies removing DE&I teams including Microsoft

⁠Formidable article⁠

About guest Maria Colacurcio - CEO, Syndio:

Maria has been the CEO of Syndio, a pay equity software as a service company, for almost 6 years. She was a co-founder of Smartsheet, she worked in leadership roles at Starbucks corporate and Microsoft. Maria is a serial entrepreneur and a mother of 7 kids!

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: info@theweeklyseattle.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

exiting overwhelm in the workplace: Amber Simonsen - Alaska Airlines & A Better 40

Sun, 18 Aug 2024 13:00:00 -0400

About guest Amber Simonsen - Commercial Portfolio Director, Alaska Airlines & Founder, ⁠A Better 40⁠

Learn more ⁠https://abetter40.com/⁠

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Show Links:

Tamara Murphy Passing

New Starbucks CEO

⁠Seattle NOW podcast episode⁠

Burnout

⁠FRIED podcast⁠

Contact:

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of aug 12: Marjorie Thomas - Allen Institute

Sun, 11 Aug 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Seattle's minimum wage

2. City of Seattle's budget issues

3. Effect of caregiving in the workplace

⁠Forbes article⁠

4. Brain studies at Allen Institute

⁠Yahoo article⁠

About guest Marjorie Thomas - CFO, Allen Institute

Marjorie joined the Allen Institute in 2017. As Chief Financial Officer she leads all accounting financial functions including grant administration. Previously Marjorie was CFO and Treasurer of RealNetworks. Before that, she held senior financial positions at Intuit, Sony Electronics, and Hewlett Packard. She served on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Northern CA and currently serves on the board of MoPop.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com

week of aug 5: Marc Berger - DH

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. AAA Washington brand makeover

2. The Stranger is bought

3. New Boeing CEO

4. Everett company ponzi scheme

5. LimeGlider coming to Seattle

About guest co-host Marc Berger – Executive Vice President and Puget Sound Market Lead, DH

Prior to this role Marc was the President and Partner of Nyhus Communications which was bought by DH about 2 years ago. Before that he worked for the National Committee on US China Relations and he earned his masters in East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com ⁠

week of july 29: Fran Dunaway - tomboyx

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. CrowdStrike outage

2. LevelTen raises $65M in Series D

⁠Business Insider article⁠

3. Target cuts back on LGBTQ vendors

4. New CEO at Providence

5. Homegrown closing stores

About guest co-host Fran Dunaway - Co-Founder, TomBoyX:

Fran was one of the inaugural Forbes 50 over 50, she is a media executive turned fashion entrepreneur. She co-founded TomBoyX, a Seattle-based gender neutral underwear and apparel brand in 2013 with her wife. As former CEO, she led the company to double in growth year over year and found themselves on many fastest-growing lists. Prior to this, Fran spent 25 years in media production. She also served as the Executive Director of Equal Rights Washington, a nonprofit focused on LGBTQ rights.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com ⁠

week of july 22: Kathy Surace-Smith - formerly NanoString

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 14:10:29 -0400

Top Stories:

1. NanoString update

Previous articles: ⁠⁠PSBJ article ⁠& ⁠PSBJ article⁠

2. MOD Pizza sells

⁠Eater article⁠

3. Aquarium to open

⁠Seattle Times article ⁠

⁠Video⁠

4. Discrimination lawsuit

5. Costco raising fees

About guest co-host Kathy Surace-Smith - former SVP, Human Resources & Legal Affairs, NanoString:

Kathy has over 35 years of experience working in high-growth private and public companies in US and Europe including over 20 yrs working in life sciences industry. She was the board chair for Fred Hutch and now remains a member of the board. She is a member of the UW Medicine advisory board, a trustee of Columbia University and an advisory board member and former co-chair for the Behavioral Health Catalyst – which seeks to improve investments and polices in Washington State’s behavioral health system.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com

week of july 15: Jamila Conley - WeRise Wines & formerly F5

Sun, 14 Jul 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Microsoft layoffs

2. New interim Police Chief

3. Increase in scammers

4. Wine deal

5. Kroger merger update

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com ⁠

About guest co-host Jamila Conley - Founder & CEO, WeRise Wines:

Jamila was most recently the VP of Global Talent Acquisition at F5 and held VP roles in the company prior to that including Mergers & Acquisitions and IT Products. She worked in senior leadership at T-Mobile in software development. Jamila currently sits on the board of the Technology Access Foundation, the Seattle Chamber and is on the One Seattle Civic Partnership committee working to revitalize downtown. She is an adjunct professor at UW teaching program management. She left the corporate world behind to launch WeRise Wines which will be a wine bar and shop with the aim of highlighting diverse winemakers.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@theweeklyseattle.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

week of july 8: Jaebadiah Gardner - GardnerGlobal

Sun, 07 Jul 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. New housing in Central District

⁠Capitol Hill Blog article⁠

2. WA program for first time homebuyers

3. Plastic surgeon office fakes reviews

4. Idaho investment company buys First Hill tower

5. Warren Buffet's financial plans after he dies

About guest co-host Jaebadiah Gardner - Founder & CEO, Gardner Global:

Jaebadiah is an African-American, Mexican-American businessman, multi-family real estate developer, fund manager, author and is the Founder & CEO of GardnerGlobal, Inc. a privately held holding company here in Seattle. Prior to development, Jaebadiah worked for Turner Construction building commercial high-rises in downtown Seattle.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@theweeklyseattle.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com ⁠

week of july 1: Kathi Lentzsch - Board Director & formerly Bartell Drugs

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories

1. HomeStreet Bank & FirstSun merger

2. The future of pharmacies

⁠Fortune article⁠

3. Electrician strike ends

4. Costco lawsuit

5. Getty Images co-founder leaves board

Guest co-host Kathi Lentzsch - Board Member and former CEO of Bartell Drugs:

Kathi is the co-chair for the Women Corporate Directors Foundation, a board member of Skagit Valley Malting, a board member for UW's Center for Leadership and Strategic Thinking. Prior to this, she was a board member for 4Front Ventures which dealt with cannabis cultivation, board member of Pharmacy Value Alliance, CEO of Bartell Drugs, interim CEO of Gump's in San Francisco, President of Enesco Gift Division, CEO of Elephant Pharmacy in California, and leadership roles at Pottery Barn, WorldMarket, and Pier1 Imports.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@theweeklyseattle.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com ⁠

week of june 24: Return of Emily Parkhurst - Formidable

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 17:41:01 -0400

Top Stories

1. Farestart is reopening

2. Seattle startup scene

3. New museum to open

⁠425 Magazine article⁠

4. Saltchuk buys a company for $430M

5. Boeing CEO is under fire

⁠Formidable article⁠

Guest Co-Host Emily Parkhurst - Founder & CEO, Formidable

Emily Parkhurst is the Founder & CEO of media company Formidable launched in 2024. Prior to this she was the VP of Content at 6AM City, and before that the Publisher and Market President of the Puget Sound Business Journal. She was a Senior Reporter at The Forecaster where she won the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi Award for Investigative Reporting in 2010. She is also the Chairman of the board for Cornish College of the Arts. www.beformidable.com

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@theweeklyseattle.com ⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com ⁠

mid-year economic outlook: Skylar Olsen - Chief Economist, Zillow

Sun, 16 Jun 2024 13:00:00 -0400

In this special episode we sit down with Dr. Skylar Olsen - Chief Economist of Zillow who gives us a mid-year economic outlook. We talk about interest rates, inflation, recession, and so much more!

Dr. Skylar Olsen - Chief Economist, Zillow

A Ph.D. housing economist with over a decade studying U.S. housing markets and consumers, Skylar is passionate about ensuring policymakers, journalists, housing professionals, and her colleagues have the data and understanding they need to make better decisions.

Skylar has testified before Congress about fair housing issues and regularly shares her housing-market expertise on stage, in print, and on local and national television and radio stations. She also teaches Real Estate Evolution and Disruption at the University of Washington, where she earned her PhD, and was a Visiting Scholar to the College of William and Mary during Fall 2023.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠info@theweeklyseattle.com⁠⁠

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com

week of june 10: Greg Kunst - Aurion Biotech

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories

1. Microsoft CEO leaves Starbucks board

2. Seattle startup wins lawsuit against Boeing

3. VC backed biotech Vilya raises $71M

4. Lightrail SLU location debate

Opinion 1: ⁠The Stranger article⁠

Opinion 2: ⁠PSBJ article⁠

5. New record store on Vashon

About guest co-host Greg Kunst - Founder & CEO, Aurion Biotech:

Greg Kunst founded Aurion Biotech which is a company that develops cell therapies for the treatment of serious eye disorders. He is on the board of Pr3vent, Inc tackling vision health for babies. He's strategic advisor for Oculogica. Prior to this, he held leadership positions at Glockos Corporation and Alcon, both companies tackling eye health.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠info@theweeklyseattle.com ⁠⁠

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com

week of june 3: Andrea Anderson - Girl Scouts

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. T-Mobile buys most of US Cellular

2. MultiCare & Overlake affiliation

3. Melinda French Gates announces plan

4. Startup helping with bereavement

5. Seattle CEO returns

⁠2022 Seattle Times article⁠

About guest co-host Andrea Anderson - CEO, Girl Scouts of Western Washington:

Andrea is the proud daughter of immigrants from Denmark, a Girl Scout alum (having been a Brownie while growing up in Michigan), and is the first member of her family to graduate college. She Was on Board on Coalition to End Gender Based Violence, the CEO of the IF project – an organization that works with justice impacted women, the Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations at the United Way of King County, Executive Director for Equality Hawaii Foundation, CEO of Planned Parenthood and has her own non-profit consulting company.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: ⁠⁠⁠theweeklyseattle@gmail.com ⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com ⁠

week of may 27: Coral Garnick Ducken - Madrona

Sun, 26 May 2024 10:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Expedia leaders are out

⁠Geekwire article⁠/⁠Seattle Times article⁠

2. Synapse bankruptcy affects Seattle startup

3. Amazon AWS CEO change

⁠PSBJ article⁠ (CEO leaving)

⁠PSBJ article ⁠(new CEO)

4. OpenAI's new voice product

5. Local VC to launch startup community hub

About guest co-host Coral Garnick Ducken - Digital Editor, Madrona:

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: ⁠⁠theweeklyseattle@gmail.com ⁠⁠

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com ⁠

week of may 20: Eduardo Penalver - Seattle University

Sun, 19 May 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Seattle CEO guilty of fraud

2. Melinda French Gates steps down

3. Kaiser Permanente to sell land

4. Chateau Ste Michelle over the years

⁠PSBJ article⁠ (Jen Belle leaving)

⁠⁠Seattle Times article⁠⁠ (background)

5. Amazon's new Project Kuiper

About guest co-host Eduardo Penalver - President, Seattle University:

Eduardo M. Peñalver became the President of Seattle University on July 1, 2021. From 2014 until 2021, he served as the Dean of Cornell Law School.

Professor Peñalver’s legal scholarship focuses on property and land use, as well as law and religion. His work explores the way in which the law mediates the interests of individuals and communities. His writing on property has appeared in numerous leading law journals.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: theweeklyseattle@gmail.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com ⁠

week of may 13: Troy Anderson - Visit Seattle

Sun, 12 May 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Visit Seattle updates

(no article)

2. Top Pot Doughnuts expands

3. Docusign acquires Lexion

4. Starbucks ex-CEO weighs in

5. Redfin settles in lawsuit

⁠AP news article⁠

About guest co-host Troy Anderson - Director of Sales, Visit Seattle

Troy has been with Visit Seattle for close to 12 years and currently serves as the Director of Sales specifically focusing on bringing convention business to the city. Prior to this role he worked in sales at hotels in Vegas including the Mirage, Treasure Island and New York New York.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: theweeklyseattle@gmail.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com ⁠

week may 6: Cate Goethals - Better Boards Initiative

Sun, 05 May 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Sue Bird joins Storm ownership group

⁠AP News article⁠

2. Amazon Q1 numbers are up

3. REI reports 2023 loss

4. FTC sues Doxo

5. Downtown properties owe $16M for waterfront

About co-host: Cate Goethals - Founder, The Better Boards Initiative

Cate is the Founder of The Better Boards Initiative, an organization with the goal of making corporate boards more diverse. She is also the Founder & Director of the Women Board Director program at UW and is an executive coach for women on the cusp of entering their next act and interested in sitting on a board. Cate is on the board of Sound Generations.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: theweeklyseattle@gmail.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com⁠

week of april 29: James Falzone - Cornish College of the Arts

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Nanostring is bought

2. Non-compete clauses are banned

⁠Seattle Magazine article⁠

3. Cornish is selling Kerry Hall

4. Music venues opening/re-opening

⁠Seattle Times article⁠ (Carnation)

⁠Seattle Refined⁠ (Conor Byrne)

5. President of Wizards of the Coast resigns

About co-host: James Falzone - Dean at Cornish College of the Arts James Falzone is a clarinetist, composer, and improviser whose work in the jazz and creative music scenes has won him international acclaim. A veteran contemporary music lecturer and clinician, as well as an award-winning composer. He was the Chair of the music program for about six years before becoming Dean for the past two years.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: theweeklyseattle@gmail.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com

week of april 22: Jen Barnes - Rough & Tumble

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Bumbershoot will open arts venue

2. Fremont Brewery has a new owner

3. Styrofoam containers to be banned

4. ZoomCare will accept Medicare

⁠PSBJ Article⁠

5. Affordable housing project in U district

⁠PSBJ Article⁠

Other sources:

⁠Low Income Housing ⁠

⁠Brewery Rankings⁠

About co-host: Jen Barnes - Founder & Owner, Rough and Tumble:

Jen opened Rough & Tumble, the first ever pub for women's just about a year and a half ago. The pub prioritizes women's sports on tvs and sound, but still plays men's sports. Prior to this she worked as the VP of Operations and Communications for OneEnergy, was the CEO of two other companies and has a long history of working in management and operations for law firms.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: theweeklyseattle@gmail.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com

week of april 15: Ilona Lohrey - GSBA

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Landmark Events Co takes over Columbia Winery tasting room space

2. Lululemon leaves Pacific Place

3. US-Japan investment in AI education

4. Providence Swedish buys naming rights

5. Google pauses construction in Kirkland

About co-host Ilona Lohrey - President & CEO, GSBA:

Ilona is the President and CEO of the GSBA, Washington state's LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce. Prior to this she was the CEO of an industrial cleaning services company in Germany before selling it and returning to the US. Before that she worked in finance.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: theweeklyseattle@gmail.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com

week of april 8: Will Niccolls - Green Latrine

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 13:00:00 -0400

Top Stories

1. Minimum wage for delivery app workers

2. Unique building opens in SLU

Dezeen article

3. Amazon ditches “just walk out” tech

4. Microsoft unbundles Office & Teams

5. Bonuses for Alaska Airlines’ C-suite

About co-host Will Niccolls - Founder & CEO, Green Latrine

Will founded Green Latrine in 2015 and has landed large deals like the Special Olympics USA games and the closing of the viaduct and opening of the tunnel. He currently serves on the board for the Seattle Sports Commission and is the Chairman and Founder of a program called Sports in Schools. For the past 33 years he has been a soccer referee for MLS and Pac-12. He was also the Referee Program Director for Washington State.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: theweeklyseattle@gmail.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com

week of april 1: Marceil Van Camp - Kamp Social House/Compass

Sun, 31 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Boeing CEO steps down

2. Ballard dive bars

3. Visa/Mastercard suit settles re: fees

⁠NPR article⁠

4. Bellevue company Ponzi scheme?

5. Strip club legislation passes in WA

About guest co-host:

Marceil Van Camp is the co-owner of Kamp Social House, a restaurant & bar located in Madison Valley that opened about 2 years ago. She is also a real estate broker for Compass. Prior to these roles she worked at Amazon in both sales and marketing.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: theweeklyseattle@gmail.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠⁠⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com

week of march 25: Megan Campbell - former journalist

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 10:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

Textio layoffs

Geekwire article (textio)

Geekwire article (tech layoffs)

KCTS9 and Crosscut open a new office

Reign is getting acquired

Seattle Storm opening new facility

Mayor Harrell’s proposed legislation

About co-host Megan Campbell:

Megan has worked in journalism for over 10 years including a former reporter at the Puget Sound Business Journal and Past President of the Society of Professional Journalists. She worked in PR for a few years and now works as a freelance writer.

About host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: theweeklyseattle@gmail.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com

week of march 18: Jon Scholes - Downtown Seattle Association (DSA)

Sun, 17 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. New UW Basketball facility

2. Zulily gets acquired

⁠PSBJ article⁠ & ⁠Geekwire article⁠

3. State of Downtown (event recap)

4. Brooks Running CEO steps down

5. Cricket league in Seattle

Co-Host Jon Scholes:

Jon Scholes is President & CEO of the Downtown Seattle Assocation where he is responsible for the operations and programs of the DSA, an 1,100 member association formed in 1958 to create a healthy, vibrant downtown for all. He was appointed President & CEO of DSA in November 2014 following six years as DSA's Vice President of Advocacy and Economic Development. Jon serves on the boards of Visit Seattle, the International Downtown Association, and Downtown Emergency Services Center. He is the host of Seattle City Makers, a podcast launched in 2022. He is a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow and attended University of Texas in Austin before graduating form the University of Washington.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee, and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as the Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: theweeklyseattle@gmail.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com

week of march 11: Rob Smith - Seattle Magazine

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 21:45:06 -0400

Top Stories

1. Boeing and Spirit Aerosystems

⁠PSBJ article ⁠(Spirit Aerosystems)

⁠Seattle Times article⁠ (NTSB)

2. In-N-Out coming to WA

⁠The Columbian article⁠

3. Pfizer shuts down Seagen facility

4. Phase Genomics gets grant from Gates Foundation

5. Are college athletes employees?

⁠AP News article⁠

Co-Host Rob Smith:

Rob is the Executive Editor for the Seattle Magazine and the Seattle Business Magazine. Prior to this he was the Editor-in-Chief for the Puget Sound Business Journal and the Editor-in-Chief for the Portland Business Journal along with some consulting and freelance work.

Host Rachel Horgan:

Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

Contact:

Email: theweeklyseattle@gmail.com

Instagram: @theweeklyseattle

Website: ⁠www.theweeklyseattle.com

week of march 4: Emily Parkhurst - Formidable

Sat, 02 Mar 2024 23:48:50 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Expedia layoffs

2. Microsoft and Mistral AI

3. Techstars accelerator closes

4. Blackstone acquires Rover

5. FTC blocks Kroger acquisition

6. Burb’s Burgers closes

Seattle Eater article

Co-Host Emily Parkhurst:
Emily Parkhurst was most recently the VP of Content at 6AM City. Prior to this role, she was the Publisher and Market President of the Puget Sound Business Journal. She was a Senior Reporter at The Forecaster where she won the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi Award for Investigative Reporting in 2010. She is also the Chairman of the board for Cornish College of the Arts.

Host Rachel Horgan:
Rachel is an independent event producer, emcee and entrepreneur. She worked for the Business Journal for 5 years as their Director of Events interviewing business leaders on stage before launching the weekly podcast. She earned her communication degree from the University of San Diego.

week of feb 26th: Alex Halverson - Puget Sound Business Journal

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 14:00:00 -0400

Top Stories:

1. Boeing VP ousted

Seattle Times article⁠

2. Amazon Seattle headcount decreased

3. Banks aren’t foreclosing office building owners

4. Expedia spy cameras

5. Harbor Custom Development shuts down