Common Grounds: Conversations from The Roasting Room

Mark Larson is the principal of Lincoln High School, a school in the core of the city with students from more than fifty countries and one of Nebraska's three International Baccalaureate programs. He joins Randy Bretz and Dr. Marilyn Moore to talk about what makes Lincoln High distinctive, the community partners who help meet students' needs, and the story behind the school's mascot, the Links. Mark also shares his own path to Lincoln High — from a small town in central Nebraska to more than two decades in the same building — and reflects on the last days of the school year, the weight and joy of graduation, and why relationships remain at the center of his work. Recorded at The Coffee Roaster in Lincoln, Nebraska.

What does it take to hold a community together? In this episode of Common Grounds, Randy Bretz and Dr. Marilyn S. Moore sit down with Amanda Barker, head of community engagement at the Lincoln Community Foundation, to talk about the everyday work of connection.Amanda has spent her career as a connector across Nebraska tourism, Civic Nebraska, Beehive Industries, and the Mayor's office, and she was named Lincoln's Young Citizen of the Year. She's also a pie baker and the mother of two unofficial playground testers. The conversation moves easily from her kids' candid reviews of a new park to the deeper questions of how neighbors come to know and rely on one another.At the heart of the conversation is the Weaver Awards, a new initiative the Lincoln Community Foundation is bringing to the city as one of 25 community hosts selected nationwide through the Weave Institute, part of the Aspen Institute. Over four years, the program will recognize ordinary people who pull others together, with $4,000 awards supporting their work. Amanda explains the four qualities that define weaving: it is local, mutual, welcoming, and relational. Applications and nominations open June 10 and run through August 10 at LCF.org.Along the way, Amanda and the hosts reflect on Give to Lincoln Day, the role of the Lincoln Community Foundation as a neutral convener on housing and early childhood, and why a banana tossed across a porch can say everything about a place. It's a thoughtful conversation about trust, generosity, and the kind of community that gets built one relationship at a time.Common Grounds is recorded inside the roasting room at The Coffee Roaster in Lincoln, Nebraska. Each episode is a chance to get to know the people and stories that shape our community. Grab a cup and join us.

Andy Seiler never set out to become a storyteller. He arrived in Lincoln from Texas to attend Union College, briefly chased a dream of flying search-and-rescue helicopters, taught English in Prague, and found his real calling almost by accident — re-editing a lost Valentine's video for his brother and realizing he'd found the thing he loved to do.Today, Andy is the founder of the Good Life Network, a local entertainment platform built on a simple but radical idea: that the best stories in Nebraska are about the people who live here. In this conversation with hosts Randy Bretz and Dr. Marilyn S. Moore, Andy talks about building a "local Netflix," what he's learned listening to people from behind the camera, and why coming home to Lincoln felt like the right decision for his family.From copper-mug makers in O'Neill to a bakery in Cortland run by a psychiatrist, Andy shares the stories that have stayed with him — and makes the case that amplifying what makes a place great means starting with its people.Recorded inside the roasting room at The Coffee Roaster in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Maggie Stuckey-Ross leads one of Lincoln's most visible public departments — Parks and Recreation — but her path there ran through Capitol Hill, the Arbor Day Foundation, and a childhood spent on the playground at Irvingdale Park. In this conversation, she walks Randy and Marilyn through the philosophy behind a parks system designed so that nearly every household in Lincoln sits within a ten-minute walk of a green space, a trail, a pool, or a rec center.Along the way, she shares the story of the new Canopy Yard skate park downtown, the thinking behind playgrounds designed for children of every ability, the Lincoln Parks Foundation's role in funding the city's most beloved spaces, and Lincoln's quiet national distinction: number one in the country for outdoor basketball hoops per capita.A thoughtful conversation about public stewardship, community design, and the spaces that quietly hold our lives together.Recorded at The Coffee Roaster in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Todd Ogden, better known around Lincoln as "Downtown Todd", joins Randy and Marilyn in the roasting room for a conversation about the city's most visible, and most ambitious, neighborhood.As President and CEO of the Downtown Lincoln Association, Todd has a hand in nearly every major project shaping the city's core: the O Street streetscape rebuild now underway, the long-planned convention center near the Cornhusker, the new Music Box venue, the emerging Boehmer Street music district, the future library at the Centrum, and South Haymarket Park. He walks us through what is happening, why it is happening now, and what it will feel like to live, work, and visit downtown in the years ahead.Along the way, Todd talks about the 2018 downtown master plan and the patience required to bring big civic ideas to life, the business improvement district that quietly keeps downtown clean and cared for, the growth of downtown residency from 3,000 people in 2010 to roughly 15,000 today, and the new Downtown Lincoln Coalition that is inviting residents, employees, and enthusiasts to become Downtown Champions.He also reflects on what keeps him in Lincoln — family, the football coach for a father-in-law, the idea that "one voice can make a change" — and why he believes downtowns, in the end, are about people more than buildings.

What does it take to turn a moment of wonder into a life's work? For Gaylene Steinbach, it started with a box of chocolates her mother gave her — the most beautiful she had ever seen. She and her family of four cut each piece into quarters just to make them last. The flavors stayed with her. The curiosity never left.In this conversation recorded inside the roasting room at The Coffee Roaster, Gaylene talks with Randy Bretz about the unlikely path from dental hygiene to chocolatier, the science and patience behind a single hand-painted bonbon, and what it means to build a small business in a city that genuinely wants you to succeed.She also talks about her daughters — one a critical and honest taste-tester, the other her right hand from middle school through the early years of the shop — and about the web of small business friendships in Lincoln that make solo work feel a little less alone.There's toffee on the table. There's chocolate. And there's a conversation about craft, community, and what happens when you follow something that genuinely fascinates you.---- LINKS ----Lulubee Chocolates: www.lulubeechocolates.comThe Coffee Roaster: www.coffeeroasterlnk.com

Bo Jones has spent more than 25 years building things in Lincoln, Nebraska. He founded True Built Construction and helped create Career Pathway, a platform now connecting students and employers in 49 states.Find every episode and experience The Coffee Roaster at coffeeroasterlnk.comIn this first episode of Common Ground, hosts Randy Bretz and Dr. Marilyn S. Moore sit down with Bo for a conversation about construction, community, and what it takes to prepare the next generation for meaningful work.Common Ground is presented by The Coffee Roaster in Lincoln, Nebraska.--- LINKS ---Career Pathway: careerpathway dot comThe Coffee Roaster: coffeeroasterLNK dot com