WNC Heartbeat Podcast

Madison County, NC is facing a growing challenge: limited food access, long travel distances, and barriers that leave many families struggling to meet basic needs. In this powerful interview, we sit down with Ashly and Matt from the MadCo Food Coalition to discuss the realities of food insecurity in rural Western North Carolina — and what it truly takes to build sustainable, community-driven solutions.Ashly and Matt share how MadCo’s programs work, why community needs assessments directly impact

Pre-order the book: Madison County, NC - Vol 01: Spring Creek https://www.millionmemoryproject.org/spring-creek8th-generation Madison County ballad singer Donna Ray Norton joins WNC HeartBEAT to explore how music preserves family history and why the Appalachian Memory Project (AMP) is gathering oral histories across Western North Carolina. Donna Ray traces her lineage in Sodom Laurel, reflects on Cecil Sharp’s 1916 song collecting, and explains how AMP’s Spring Creek Book and digital archive capture

In this episode of WNC HeartBEAT, hosts Anna Robas and Ali Tisdall talk with Alice McVey, one of the driving forces behind the new Spring Creek Office for Rural Economic Development (SCORED!).Alice shares how years of community collaboration, grant partnerships, and vision turned a rural school building into a modern business hub — complete with coworking spaces, private offices, tele-health booths, and an education-ready classroom. This project represents a new chapter for Western North Carolina’s

In the folds of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a quiet revolution is underway. What was once a forgotten schoolhouse in Spring Creek, North Carolina, is becoming something extraordinary — a living, breathing heartbeat of a rural community reinventing itself. In this episode, hosts Ali Tisdall and Anna Robas pull back the curtain on what it really takes to bring new life to an old place — where grit, vision, and mountain time collide.Inside this episode:A schoolhouse reborn as the beating heart of a rural

When Hurricane Helene struck Hot Springs, NC, it wasn’t just the streets and homes that were washed away — entire memories were at risk of being lost. In this powerful WNC HeartBEAT episode, host Ali Tisdall sits down with Kevin Reese, community organizer and founder of Rebuild Hot Springs, to uncover how a town rebuilt itself one story at a time.Kevin recounts the day Helene overtook Bridge Street in broad daylight, the urgency of daily 11 a.m. recovery meetings, and how neighbors became lifelines

In this episode of WNC Heartbeat, Barbie and Ed Johnson share the incredible story of Mission Sheds. What began in Western North Carolina as a way to help families after disaster has grown into a worldwide volunteer movement. From the first shed delivered in Marshall to global teams of helpers, Mission Sheds shows how ordinary people can create extraordinary impact.To help support Mission Sheds, please visit: https://givebutter.com/9AcYL0 Follow us on:📍 YouTube:

Among the ridges and valleys of Western North Carolina, the land doesn’t just shape the view — it shapes the people. In our debut episode of WNC Heartbeat, Ali and Anna peel back the layers of small-town resilience, where every story holds both beauty and hardship.✨ In this episode, you’ll hear:The night Hurricane Helene changed everything — and the unexpected place where neighbors gathered.How two strangers became friends in the middle of chaos.Why living in Spring Creek means learning to endure,