Artwork for podcast I Am Northwest Arkansas®
Danielle Keller on Reviving Peekaboo Magazine and Building Community Connections in Northwest Arkansas
Episode 36022nd June 2026 • I Am Northwest Arkansas® • Randy Wilburn
00:00:00 01:00:20

Share Episode

Shownotes

About the Show:

"I always want to have that posture of, like, what can I learn? How can I grow?"

Danielle Keller

Danielle Keller didn't plan on becoming the steward of Northwest Arkansas's most beloved family magazine. She moved from California to Arkansas, built a life here as a mother and filmmaker, and somewhere along the way fell in love with the kind of community storytelling that big media rarely gets right.

In this episode of I Am Northwest Arkansas®, Randy Wilburn sits down with Danielle to talk about her journey—from film and podcasting to relaunching Peekaboo Magazine in August 2025 with a bigger, higher-quality print edition that bets on something most people have written off.

She makes the case for print in a digital world. Not as nostalgia. As intention.

Personal essays from local parents, in-person community events, and real voices from across NWA — Peekaboo is proof that a magazine can still be a gathering place. This conversation is a reminder that the stories closest to home are often the ones worth telling most.

Key Takeaways:

  • Embrace Change and Growth: It's never too late to start something new or pivot your career—real growth often happens later in life.
  • The Importance of Storytelling: Personal stories connect people and help communities feel seen, valued, and understood.
  • Relationships Matter: Building relationships is key to both personal success and community building; everyone has something to offer.
  • The Power of Local Media: Hyper-local publications like Peekaboo give a platform to everyday stories and voices that otherwise might not be heard.
  • Print Isn’t Dead: There’s a renewed appreciation for tangible, high-quality media that people can hold, share, and keep on their coffee tables.
  • Community Support: Sharing vulnerable stories can lead to compassion and real community action, supporting those who need it most.
  • Be Inclusive: Not everyone is an extrovert—seek out and include those on the fringe, and help everyone feel welcome.

All this and more on this episode of the I Am Northwest Arkansas® podcast.

Important Links and Mentions on the Show*

You can pick up a physical copy of Peekaboo magazine at local libraries, museums, and family-focused spots throughout Northwest Arkansas—from Fayetteville to Bella Vista and Siloam Springs.

This episode is sponsored by*

Signature Bank of Arkansas "Community Banking at its Best!"

*Note: some of the resources mentioned may be affiliate links. This means we get paid a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you use that link to make a purchase.

Connect more with I am Northwest Arkansas:

Thank you for listening to this I am Northwest Arkansas podcast episode. We showcase businesses, culture, entrepreneurship, and life in the Ozarks.

Consider donating to our production team to keep this podcast running smoothly. Donate to I Am Northwest Arkansas

Mentioned in this episode:

FindItNWA.com

Looking to discover the best local businesses in Northwest Arkansas? 🌟 From cozy cafes to essential services, FindItNWA.com has got you covered. Connect with your local community with just one click and explore something great. Visit finditnwa.com today! #LocalBusiness #CommunitySupport"

FindItNWA.com

Winetopia 2026

Winetopia 2026 Date: Friday, October 16th Time: 7-10pm Place: Stonebreaker Hotel on Markham hill Winetopia is Restore Humanity’s biggest annual fundraiser and brings together the very best of Northwest Arkansas (restaurants, artisans, small businesses, and (community members) to support our work. While the event raises essential funds for children in Kenya, its heartbeat is entirely local. There are over 100 local businesses who contribute auction items, regional chefs and beverage makers who showcase their craft, and the hundreds of residents gathering to celebrate community generosity. Winetopia strengthens local partnerships, elevates homegrown talent, and reinforces Northwest Arkansas's identity as a place where global compassion is fueled by local collaboration. Winetopia is a beautiful demonstration of how a united local community can create life-changing impact for children and families worldwide.

Winetopia 2026

Transcripts

Speaker:

Seven years in, I'm still discovering the people

Speaker:

quietly doing the work that holds this community together.

Speaker:

Sometimes that means watching a beloved local institution take a

Speaker:

pause and then come roaring back with a fresh look, a new

Speaker:

energy, and the exact same heart that made it matter

Speaker:

in the first place. Danielle Keller is one of those people.

Speaker:

She's a serial entrepreneur, filmmaker,

Speaker:

podcaster, and now the owner and editor in

Speaker:

chief of Peekaboo magazine, a resource packed with local

Speaker:

stories, expert voices, and the kind of community love

Speaker:

that keeps Northwest Arkansas families connected.

Speaker:

Peekaboo was originally founded in February 2008

Speaker:

by Kimberly Enderley. For over a decade, it was a

Speaker:

digest sized fixture used you'd find thrown into

Speaker:

diaper bags all across the region. Then in 2020

Speaker:

hit and like a lot of things, it had to pause.

Speaker:

Now it's back under Danielle and her husband, Jeff.

Speaker:

Peekaboo officially returned in August 2025.

Speaker:

A larger format, Premium matte finish, and an

Speaker:

intentional commitment to high quality print and a world that

Speaker:

keeps telling us print is dead. Danielle also co hosts

Speaker:

the People of Northwest Arkansas podcast, which gives her a rare

Speaker:

dual lens on what makes this community tick, both as

Speaker:

a media maker and as a neighbor who's

Speaker:

genuinely invested in the stories here. We talk a lot on

Speaker:

this show about how fast our region is growing and what it actually

Speaker:

takes to preserve our soul through that growth.

Speaker:

There's no better person to dig into that question with

Speaker:

than a media leader who's betting on it with her own time,

Speaker:

her own money, and her own family. Coming up

Speaker:

next, my conversation with Danielle Keller.

Speaker:

It's time for another episode of I Am Northwest

Speaker:

Arkansas, the podcast covering the intersection of

Speaker:

business card culture, entrepreneurship and life in

Speaker:

general here in the Ozarks. Whether you are considering a

Speaker:

move to this area or trying to learn more about the place you call

Speaker:

home, we've got something special for you. Here's

Speaker:

our host, Randy Wilbur.

Speaker:

Danielle Keller. Welcome to I Am Northwest Arkansas. Thank you,

Speaker:

Randy. It's so exciting to be here finally. I know, I know.

Speaker:

We've been working on this for a while. It's so funny. Nobody, nobody ever sees

Speaker:

the sausage being made, right? And I know as a podcaster you can

Speaker:

appreciate what goes in behind the scenes. To actually get in front

Speaker:

of a mic. Yes, it's crazy. It sometimes takes a lot

Speaker:

of planning, waiting, patience,

Speaker:

rescheduling, all of the things that go into it. Yeah, well,

Speaker:

you've been patient with me. We've worked it out and we're finally here.

Speaker:

So I love that and I want to jump right into this because I have

Speaker:

so many questions for you. You been doing so much in our community.

Speaker:

You've described northwest Arkansas as this massive

Speaker:

melting pot of transplants and transients, people who

Speaker:

landed here by circumstance and ended up staying by choice. I feel like I'm

Speaker:

one of those people. Same. When your family moved from

Speaker:

Modesto, California, back around 2004, you

Speaker:

were skeptical. What flipped it for you? What made you go

Speaker:

from why Arkansas To. To somebody who now tells

Speaker:

those stories for a living? That's a really great question. So my

Speaker:

parents moved out here in 2004. My sisters and I, we weren't

Speaker:

living at home anymore, and we kind of thought, what are you guys doing?

Speaker:

Like, why are you moving to Arkansas? And they fell in love with the area.

Speaker:

They fell in love with northwest Arkansas specifically. And I came

Speaker:

out to visit. I honestly, I will.

Speaker:

I'll be honest. I came in June of 2004,

Speaker:

and it rained pretty much the whole time I was there or

Speaker:

here. And I wasn't super impressed with it. I was like, I don't know, this

Speaker:

place is hot. It's very humid. There's not a

Speaker:

lot to do. You know, My parents were in Siloam Springs at the time, and

Speaker:

there wasn't even a movie theater there. And I thought, what on earth? What are

Speaker:

you guys doing? But they had a great house, great property.

Speaker:

And then I went back to California, and I was kind of in between

Speaker:

places in my life as far as work, career, job,

Speaker:

school. And I ended up going back to college,

Speaker:

and my mom had just, you know, as moms do, she put me on

Speaker:

the mailing list for John Brown University, of course, because,

Speaker:

you know, that's what moms do. And I was like, mom, I'm not

Speaker:

ever moving to Arkansas. It's not happening. It's

Speaker:

just not. And one day I was cleaning my apartment, and I

Speaker:

came across this video that had been sent to me. It was like a

Speaker:

DVD video of John Brown University. And I was

Speaker:

kind of at a place like, I don't know what I'm doing next. Where do

Speaker:

I want to go? And I was like, you know what? I'm just going to

Speaker:

watch this and just kind of see what it's all about. And I was

Speaker:

surprised at how awesome it looked and that it had

Speaker:

opportunity for me to study film. At the time, I was finishing

Speaker:

up my associate's degree in film and TV production, and I was like,

Speaker:

oh, this school has a film program, an art program, and it seems

Speaker:

pretty vigorous. And, okay, well, I'll check it out. I'll Apply. So I

Speaker:

applied. I got accepted within a week or two weeks or something like that. And

Speaker:

then a couple months later, I was moving to Arkansas. So it was a

Speaker:

wild experience. And all my friends were like, what? What are you doing?

Speaker:

I was like, well, I'm going back to school, going to go live with my

Speaker:

parents again, and I'm going to finish college. And it was just a wild

Speaker:

journey. And so I came back, transferred to JBU in January

Speaker:

2005, and I was going to be a double major. I was going to do

Speaker:

youth ministry and digital media arts cinema. Ended up dropping

Speaker:

the major and just did the digital media arts cinema with a minor in youth

Speaker:

ministry. Went there for five semesters, finished, had

Speaker:

a great time, got really involved on campus, did a lot of

Speaker:

activities. Actually got to plan the first dance that ever happened at jbu. It was

Speaker:

a very. I mean, it was a very. It was a lot of fun. I

Speaker:

was in the New York Times, like, goodness. It was a really great experience.

Speaker:

And then I went back to California to try to make it in, like,

Speaker:

TV or film production. I was looking at different writers rooms. So I've always had

Speaker:

a love for writing. Wrote for my school paper in high school and then in

Speaker:

early college. And so I've always wanted to go back to that. And

Speaker:

just got out there at perfect time. There was a writer's strike hitting, and then

Speaker:

just worked a lot of random jobs. And one of the jobs I ended up

Speaker:

working was working on a film that was produced and

Speaker:

directed by JBU alumni. And that was kind of

Speaker:

my connection back to jbu. And so we

Speaker:

worked on the film. And then I came back to Northwest Arkansas to

Speaker:

visit my family after we'd kind of wrapped some of the filming.

Speaker:

And I was at the student center of jvu, and they offered me

Speaker:

a job. They came out, they said, hey, this position opened. It was

Speaker:

my old boss's job when I was a student. And that's what pulled

Speaker:

me back to Northwest Arkansas, was a job at John

Speaker:

Brown University. And so I worked at JBU for about eight years and

Speaker:

did a variety of things. Oversaw student

Speaker:

leadership, student activities, orientation. Got to plan some

Speaker:

really fun concerts with students. It was a great experience. And then I met my

Speaker:

husband, and then we ended up moving to Bentonville, and I ended up

Speaker:

stepping away from my job at jbu. I'm trying to tell this really fast because

Speaker:

I could go into a lot of details. Oh, no. Well, this is interesting. I

Speaker:

mean, it's kind of the overarching. Yeah. A lot of people don't Know this part

Speaker:

of my story because so much has just happened over

Speaker:

the amount of time that I've lived here. I mean, overall, I've

Speaker:

essentially been in northwest Arkansas for 20 years. There was like about a

Speaker:

little over a year that I wasn't here and I was back in California. And

Speaker:

so there's just. There's so many things that have happened as a result of

Speaker:

that. I remember one of the things that was really kind of

Speaker:

pivotal for me in getting back into media was the Bentonville

Speaker:

Film Festival. And. And I remember they announced was

Speaker:

the very first film festival happened when I had a. When I had a newborn

Speaker:

baby sitting on my lap. Not sitting, laying,

Speaker:

sleeping, nursing. And so I didn't get to attend the first one, but I was

Speaker:

really excited. And the next year, next year we were already living in

Speaker:

Bentonville. And so I'd stepped away. Was kind of being a stay at home

Speaker:

mom, had a two year old and a newborn or a baby. And

Speaker:

I ended up volunteering, kind of just trying to figure out

Speaker:

what I was going to do next. And I was kind of starting to dip

Speaker:

my foot back into media and TV production and video

Speaker:

production and all the things. And then in 2017,

Speaker:

at the Bentonville Film Festival, I met some women

Speaker:

who had made this incredible film. It was

Speaker:

just so remarkable. And it was about World War II and it had to do

Speaker:

with Nazi Germany. And it was just this very. Just,

Speaker:

I mean, like a very deep story. It was really. I wish I could remember

Speaker:

the name of it because it had an impact and these women had an impact

Speaker:

on me. And I remember telling them, I'm turning 40 this summer

Speaker:

and the ship has sailed. And they were like, we're in our

Speaker:

50s. The ship is not sailed for you. No, it is not.

Speaker:

And you need to get back into it. And so that was a huge

Speaker:

turning point for me. This was 2017. This was 2017. It was

Speaker:

a wake up call. You met your halftime moment. I did. And you

Speaker:

had some people kind of speak into you. It's always funny how

Speaker:

individuals that are older than you have that

Speaker:

collective wisdom and just the ability to kind of give

Speaker:

you what you need to hear at that moment. Right. Because

Speaker:

I read a book a long time ago when I was about to turn

Speaker:

40 called halftime by a man named Bob Buford. And

Speaker:

he postulates in that book simply that your best years

Speaker:

are ahead of you, especially if you've lived a half life, because it's like you've

Speaker:

figured out everything. You've made all the mistakes that you can make.

Speaker:

Now you can start to move into a place of being an expert.

Speaker:

Right. And I'm using air quotes now, but it's like you're finally

Speaker:

figuring things out, because we all like to think, oh, well, yeah,

Speaker:

you know, if you don't figure things out by your 20s or early 30s, then

Speaker:

you're lost. And, I mean, it is a long game that

Speaker:

we're playing here. I say that all the time to people when we talk on

Speaker:

this podcast, but I sometimes have to be reminded of that. So hearing your

Speaker:

story reminds me that you have to play the long game. Yes,

Speaker:

I agree wholeheartedly. And I think that a lot of people. I agree with you.

Speaker:

And a lot of people think they have to have life figured out in their

Speaker:

20s and 30s, and that's just not true. And I think

Speaker:

that some people think you have to figure out what you want to do for

Speaker:

the rest of your life, and then you just keep doing it. And that's not

Speaker:

true either. You know, it's okay to pivot. It's okay to change

Speaker:

direction, even if it's just a slight pivot.

Speaker:

Sometimes it can be a big pivot, and sometimes it can just be a really

Speaker:

small one. I really appreciate people that have spoken into me over

Speaker:

many, many years of my life. And I've always had a

Speaker:

mentor in my life. I've always had people just encouraging me.

Speaker:

I always loved those teachers that pushed me really hard.

Speaker:

When I was at the junior college in Modesto and was getting my

Speaker:

associates in film and TV production, the woman had in

Speaker:

charge of that department. I mean, she was tough. She was

Speaker:

really tough. And, like, so many students hated her. They did not like

Speaker:

her because she pushed and pushed and pushed, and she is the

Speaker:

reason I do what I do. Like, she really

Speaker:

encouraged me in so many ways because I was like, yeah, okay, I will

Speaker:

rise to that challenge. I will go after what you're trying to tell me, and

Speaker:

I will go and do better, and I will take this little thing

Speaker:

that I've learned and improve it because you're pushing me. And I've

Speaker:

always appreciated people like that. And so when people are saying, like, no, it's not

Speaker:

too late, I'm like, all right, game on. Challenge accepted. Let's go.

Speaker:

And that keeps happening, Randy. Well, I like that.

Speaker:

And you know what that's called, what that teacher did to you.

Speaker:

It's a form of refinement. And I always like to

Speaker:

say it's kind of like the refining fire. When you think of, like, any

Speaker:

metallurgy, gold, silver, any of that, none of that

Speaker:

gold never presents itself in its final form. Right.

Speaker:

It has to be formed. It has to go through fire, has to

Speaker:

burn off the impurities and all the other stuff before it gets to it.

Speaker:

And so that teacher in your life burned off some

Speaker:

things that you didn't need to carry with you as you progressed.

Speaker:

And now look at where you are, where you're doing multiple things which we're going

Speaker:

to get into, and you're not. You're not facing them with fear and

Speaker:

trepidation the way. And some people that are on the outside looking in

Speaker:

at your life say, man, how are you able to do that? Well, one of

Speaker:

it is that you gave somebody license to speak to

Speaker:

you, where you were at that moment in time. Because where you were

Speaker:

in Modesto in getting your associate's degree is not where you are today.

Speaker:

Correct. It's very far different. I

Speaker:

mean, that was, like, over 20 years ago as well. So

Speaker:

it was quite a bit of time since then. But

Speaker:

it's really great to look back at those experiences and know

Speaker:

how much they impacted my life. And just the things I went through, even at

Speaker:

JBU as a student and then working at jbu, the things that

Speaker:

I experienced and then working on different film sets and

Speaker:

with documentary film and working in marketing and media and seeing

Speaker:

the rise of social media and just getting to be a part of all those

Speaker:

different experiences and have really impacted and shaped who I

Speaker:

am today. Sure. And just in that vein of, like,

Speaker:

refinement, this is something that has really been

Speaker:

on my heart over probably the past five plus

Speaker:

years. Probably more like almost 10 years at this point of

Speaker:

just looking at every experience that I go through and saying, how can I

Speaker:

learn? Or how can I grow from this experience? And sometimes it's not like, ooh,

Speaker:

I'm, like, really thinking about, like, how can I grow from this experience? It just

Speaker:

kind of sometimes happens. Yeah. But knowing that there is opportunities

Speaker:

for small growth and there's opportunities for big growth. And like I was

Speaker:

telling you before we started recording, it's been a hard month, and

Speaker:

I just had to have, like, that reminder of, you know what? Like, you've been

Speaker:

through hard things before and you've come out on the other end and

Speaker:

you can learn from this. And recently there was something we went through that was

Speaker:

really hard with the business, and I was just like, oh, gosh. Like, I just

Speaker:

want to throw in the towel. Like, I just want to be done. Yeah, make

Speaker:

it stop. Exactly. Like, I just want to say, sit here and cry and

Speaker:

eat and eat. Bonbons. In bed and watch some, you know,

Speaker:

TV show. I don't know what I want to do, but that experience

Speaker:

helped me learn something, and I was able to lean into that and

Speaker:

know that there is growth that's going to come from that. And I always want

Speaker:

to have that posture of, like, what can I learn? How can I grow? You

Speaker:

know, earlier you were talking about, like, oh, you've got it figured out and you

Speaker:

don't make any more mistakes or what? You're not making mistakes anymore in your 40s.

Speaker:

That's not true. No, it's not. It's not. I'm making a lot of mistakes, and

Speaker:

I'm going to make them in my 50s and my 60s and probably for the

Speaker:

rest of my life because I'm a human. But I get what you were

Speaker:

saying at that junction, but it's just. I don't know. I think

Speaker:

that I always want to be that person. I always want to

Speaker:

learn and grow from the things that I've experienced, whether it's mistakes I've made or

Speaker:

just an experience I've had or an opportunity to learn and grow.

Speaker:

It's just important to me. Well, I mean. And I think it's important

Speaker:

to us as adults, specifically, because we are both adults.

Speaker:

And I think, you know, you came here where we met today. We're actually

Speaker:

recording this at the Fayetteville Public Library. Shout out to the best library in the

Speaker:

region. No shade to any other library in northwest Arkansas,

Speaker:

but this library sets the standard. But as you came here with your son,

Speaker:

I am reminded of how much of an example we set

Speaker:

for those that we. Whether we bring into the world or.

Speaker:

You just never know who's looking up at you, right? Oh, absolutely. And you

Speaker:

have to set that example and show them what it's like to go through

Speaker:

challenges and hard things just so that they can find

Speaker:

success in their lives. Because your son and your daughter's success

Speaker:

is going to be different than your success, but it is predicated upon the

Speaker:

lessons that you leave them as you guys go about your

Speaker:

time here. Right. So it's the cats in the cradle and the silver moon,

Speaker:

right? Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

Speaker:

Yes, absolutely. So, man. No. Well, we could

Speaker:

riff on this forever. I want to. There are actually a number of

Speaker:

questions that I have for you around this, because we always like to

Speaker:

focus on people that are doing interesting things in northwest

Speaker:

Arkansas. And I want to be very clear. I think everybody's doing something interesting. I

Speaker:

agree. It's just being able to define it. And if you have a platform.

Speaker:

It's good to be able to put yourself out there because you never know who's

Speaker:

watching. I agree. It really is. And so I wanted to ask you

Speaker:

this. Your path to actually staying here reads like a

Speaker:

movie. Here in northwest Arkansas, you went to college at jbu, a

Speaker:

local film project. You met Jeff documenting places like

Speaker:

Dogpatch USA before they were gone. I mean, you've done a bunch of

Speaker:

stuff. How did that early work in film and

Speaker:

documentary especially shape how you think about

Speaker:

northwest Arkansas's history and what's worth preserving?

Speaker:

Oh, that is a really good question. That's kind of a hard question,

Speaker:

I think, you know, when I think about my

Speaker:

opinion of just Arkansas, back when I was

Speaker:

living in California and just kind of being a little snooty about it

Speaker:

and thinking like, I am not going to Arkansas,

Speaker:

it's beneath me. Yeah, that's like, I don't even

Speaker:

know. It's a flyover place. It is a flyover place. That's what they said. I

Speaker:

mean, I honestly had no idea where it was. Right. Like, as far as

Speaker:

geography, I was like, where even is Arkansas? I mean, I do remember

Speaker:

a lot about Arkansas because I was a teen in the 90s, and so

Speaker:

that was the height of, like, I'm ready to vote. I want to really

Speaker:

have an opinion and what's going on in the world, in the country. And so

Speaker:

that was a huge, high time for Bill Clinton. And

Speaker:

so Arkansas was definitely on my radar in that sense.

Speaker:

Yeah. Yeah. Very, very much so. I would say that just

Speaker:

some of that early work, as I came here and learned more about Arkansas

Speaker:

and learned more about the region in northwest Arkansas, I think that there's just

Speaker:

so much value in the people here. I will always

Speaker:

go back to the people and how they have shaped this place. And there's the

Speaker:

obvious people, there's, you know, the Walton family,

Speaker:

the J.B. hunt family, there's the Tyson family,

Speaker:

There's the big families that have really poured into this region and there

Speaker:

is so much value in what they've poured in and what they continue to pour

Speaker:

into this region. Yeah. But there's also the small

Speaker:

businesses and the people that are doing the day to day work

Speaker:

and who are investing in one another and who are building

Speaker:

each other up and who are making an impact in this

Speaker:

area on a smaller level or on just like a more intimate

Speaker:

level. Well, I always like to say on their level. Right. I mean, I think

Speaker:

you need to, you know, what is it? Get in where you fit in. And

Speaker:

we all Fit in somewhere. Correct. And so some of us are

Speaker:

just going to have larger platforms than others, but. But whatever your

Speaker:

platform is, work with what you got. Yes, right. Yeah,

Speaker:

I agree. And I think, you know, I really think back, because we've been doing

Speaker:

the podcast for three years now, and just some of the people that

Speaker:

we've met are just so fascinating, and you just don't

Speaker:

even realize who walks among you here in northwest Arkansas? Have

Speaker:

no idea. No idea. I mean, when I first even heard about

Speaker:

Dogpatch, I was like, I'm sorry, what? A theme park

Speaker:

based on hillbillies? Like, oh, that's where I got my

Speaker:

impression of Arkansas the first place was. Right. Was it because of Dog

Speaker:

Patch? Perhaps? Yeah. But it was such a fascinating

Speaker:

opportunity to go through, and it was so cool to learn about

Speaker:

the origins of the place and how it came to be and even how it

Speaker:

did have an impact on this area, but it didn't define it completely.

Speaker:

It had an impact, but I don't think it defined all of what Arkansas

Speaker:

is or what northwest Arkansas is. And I think that. That

Speaker:

it's really interesting. I really love learning about people. And

Speaker:

just this area that seems to have helped you kind of cut

Speaker:

your teeth in the whole motive of

Speaker:

storytelling. Right. When you think of that. And so. And after a

Speaker:

while, it starts to. Not that it comes naturally. I think we have to work

Speaker:

at being able to tell stories because you want to kind of capture

Speaker:

the interest of others through words and through

Speaker:

examples. And so, I mean, it requires a lot of work. It does.

Speaker:

It really does. It really does. Sometimes a lot of research, sometimes a lot of

Speaker:

finding the people that need to be found. I remember when I found.

Speaker:

So I was a producer on the doc, a documentary about Dogpatch usa,

Speaker:

and for those of you that are listening, it's a theme park that is based

Speaker:

right out of Ark or right outside of Harrison in Boone county,

Speaker:

based on a little comic strip called Li' L Abner.

Speaker:

And the author and the comic of Lil

Speaker:

Abner, who wrote it, Al Capp, his son

Speaker:

actually, was the one who ran Dogpatch usa, the theme park.

Speaker:

And I found him, and it was so

Speaker:

awesome to find him and to just dig, dig,

Speaker:

dig. And then I found, like, a sister and then a daughter and a cousin,

Speaker:

and then I think it was the daughter that was able to get me right

Speaker:

in touch with him. And he just lives still in Little Rock, and since then,

Speaker:

he has passed away. But it was really cool to be able to find him

Speaker:

and get him interviewed for the documentary. Is that documentary on

Speaker:

YouTube. It isn't on YouTube, but I have. I have copies of

Speaker:

it. And so I think that the director is wanting to potentially

Speaker:

bring it back and put it into film festivals, because we didn't do a film

Speaker:

festival run with it. Oh, interesting. And so he wanted to just go straight to

Speaker:

dvd, was working with a distributor on that. And then

Speaker:

things kind of fell apart as they did, as we got closer to Covid.

Speaker:

And then Covid happened, and everything kind of just went to the wayside.

Speaker:

So I feel like there's a resurgence of other things happening. Maybe this

Speaker:

podcast will stimulate that and people will start reaching out to you, saying, hey, I

Speaker:

want to see this video. It's really fun. Well, my daughter, the other day, she

Speaker:

goes, mom. She goes, I've been learning about abandoned places. She's 11.

Speaker:

I've been learning about abandoned places in Arkansas. And there's this one place called Dog

Speaker:

Patch. Have you heard of it? And I was like, really? I

Speaker:

have, yes. And we've actually been there. She's like, what We.

Speaker:

She goes, oh, when it was open, I go, oh, no, no, not when it

Speaker:

was open. I was like, I have pictures of you there when you were little.

Speaker:

Like, probably. She was probably about 3 years old when I worked

Speaker:

on that documentary. And so it's kind of fun. She's like, can we go there?

Speaker:

I mean, it'd probably be trespassing, but can we go? And I was like, I

Speaker:

don't know that it's safe anymore. Is the site still there now? Some

Speaker:

of it is still there. It's been purchased and handed over and

Speaker:

over. And at one point, I think the owner of Bass Pro Shops had

Speaker:

purchased the land, and that was the last I heard of it. And that was

Speaker:

right on the cusp of 2020. And so I don't

Speaker:

know that there's been a lot. Yeah, I've kind of lost track of it. Yeah,

Speaker:

that's. That's really cool. Well. Well, yeah, I hope that we'll put some information

Speaker:

in the show notes so people can kind of look that up and do their

Speaker:

own research. Right. You know, go to Dr. Google and search

Speaker:

Dogpatch USA and learn a little bit more about that.

Speaker:

Because you said Little Abner, and I know what Little Abner is. Most people don't

Speaker:

know. Most people of a certain age don't know who Little Abner is. No, they

Speaker:

don't. I think that will be interesting as well. Well, what people will know, which

Speaker:

is really interesting, is Sadie Hawkins dances. Of course.

Speaker:

Absolutely. What I thought this was probably one of my

Speaker:

favorite parts of working on the documentary and the things that I learned. I mean,

Speaker:

I learned a lot, but because I grew up in an era of

Speaker:

Sadie Hawkins dances in high school, and I was like, oh,

Speaker:

Sadie Hawkins. Like, Sadie Hawkins dances. And it originated from

Speaker:

Dogpatch, from the comic strip first, and then it

Speaker:

became a thing at the park. And I think it was the University

Speaker:

of Alabama that first adopted it to be a dance

Speaker:

and to, like, kind of make it, like a thing where the girls ask the

Speaker:

guys and, like, it's the whole thing. But in the park and in the comic

Speaker:

strip, for those of you that are interested in. So

Speaker:

hillbilly. And it's about, like, this woman whose dad wants her to

Speaker:

get married, and she's, like, super ugly, and so these men have to, like, run,

Speaker:

and she chases them, and if she catches one of them, then they have to

Speaker:

marry her. It's like a whole thing. Yeah, it was a whole

Speaker:

publicity, scent marketing scheme that they did back in, like, the 30s

Speaker:

or something crazy like that with the comic strip. And then it became like a

Speaker:

foot race that happened every day at the theme park.

Speaker:

Yeah. Where they would come out and they would run and chase each other, and

Speaker:

so. That's hilarious. And the St. Hawkins dance all over the country, I

Speaker:

think. Oh, yeah, all over the place. There's even a song about it. Yeah,

Speaker:

absolutely. Absolutely. Anyway, that's exciting. All right, so I want to

Speaker:

kind of. This is really interesting to me, and it's something that, as

Speaker:

you've talked a little bit about it, but when you and Jeff decided

Speaker:

to bring Peekaboo back, you didn't just try to recreate what

Speaker:

existed. You went bigger format, premium matte

Speaker:

finish. A deliberate, tactile experience. I really love opening

Speaker:

your magazine and smelling it. Actually. Don't tell anybody, but it smells good.

Speaker:

It's just interesting. Right. But walk me through that decision,

Speaker:

because when you talk to most people nowadays, Right. When somebody's

Speaker:

like, yeah, I'm going to start or buy a magazine, and I'm going to double

Speaker:

down on making sure we print a lot of copies of this. In this

Speaker:

day and age. Right. When I'm looking at my iPhone and thinking, man, okay,

Speaker:

everything that I need is right on this device. That was a.

Speaker:

I would call that a bold counter move. Yes. To

Speaker:

where the established practices are of consuming information.

Speaker:

How did you come up with that? Yeah, no, that's a great.

Speaker:

You have really good questions, Randy. I see why your podcast

Speaker:

is so popular and you've done hundreds of episodes. I would

Speaker:

say Gosh, we talked about it a lot, the

Speaker:

format that we wanted to do and bring back. We are

Speaker:

still working with the same local printer that we kind

Speaker:

of. So when we decided to buy the brand, we shopped around for different

Speaker:

printers. We decided to go with just US printers, which is

Speaker:

based out of Springdale and it's a third

Speaker:

generation family owned printer here in the area.

Speaker:

Great, great people and they print on site.

Speaker:

And we had great conversations with him, talked about different types of

Speaker:

paper, touched a lot of paper through this process,

Speaker:

had a lot of conversations with people, friends, family, things like that.

Speaker:

And while that little digest size of a magazine

Speaker:

is easy to like throw in a bag and things like that, we wanted this

Speaker:

to be a little bit elevated. We wanted it to

Speaker:

stand out as a premier family magazine

Speaker:

with seeing the new magazines like the City lifestyle

Speaker:

magazines coming out and shout out to Randy being in the Fayetteville City

Speaker:

lifestyle magazine for the month of June. Appreciate that. Thank you. I

Speaker:

love, I love the City lifestyle magazines and have

Speaker:

gotten to know the publisher for the Bentonville and the

Speaker:

Rogers one really well. And I just really loved how it

Speaker:

felt, what it looked like and said, okay, this is

Speaker:

kind of what we want to model it after as well. And our printer was

Speaker:

giving us advice on just the types of paper and things like that.

Speaker:

So we wanted it to be something that was an experience, you

Speaker:

know, something like you were saying, it feels good to touch,

Speaker:

it smells good. It's funny that you say that about the smell because when

Speaker:

we first started, when we first brought it back, we were doing a lot of

Speaker:

the deliveries and as we were handing it out to people, they were like,

Speaker:

oh my gosh, this smells so good. Yeah, it's crazy, right? You

Speaker:

think like it's a magazine, but no, it smells good too. So.

Speaker:

Yeah, yeah. And so we've kind of coined that like term, like that new

Speaker:

magazine smell. And it's really. I think that there's

Speaker:

something really valuable in bringing people together in

Speaker:

physical ways, in person, in front of you,

Speaker:

something you can touch, something that you can spend time with rather than

Speaker:

just doom scrolling, rather than just getting that

Speaker:

fatigue from being, you know, digitally just.

Speaker:

It's gotten so overwhelming and just so

Speaker:

oversaturated. And I think there really is. I think you're going to see a

Speaker:

resurgence of magazines, books being printed

Speaker:

again. I really do. I mean, I'm reading articles about it,

Speaker:

I'm seeing it all over. And also what was really cool about going with

Speaker:

the matte finish pages, I like how it feels. It

Speaker:

reminds me of like Matte finish photos back in the day, I love. I

Speaker:

remember it's like, I'm going to check matte finish when I go get my pictures.

Speaker:

I don't want to get any smudges on it. No, I want to get the

Speaker:

matte. And so that. I mean, it's really funny because it's. It

Speaker:

is different. It's not traditional magazine,

Speaker:

but I just kind of love the aesthetic of Matte, and it didn't

Speaker:

cost any different. And that was really kind of interesting to me because

Speaker:

usually I would think matte finish would cost a little extra, but. Yeah, so

Speaker:

there were lots of things, and we wanted it to stand out. We wanted it

Speaker:

to be an experience for people. So, yeah, I think people

Speaker:

are interested in having some

Speaker:

experiences in real life, you know, irl, as the cool kids like to

Speaker:

say, because, I mean, everything is so virtual nowadays. Young

Speaker:

people struggle, especially men. Young men struggle with

Speaker:

loneliness and what have you. And so I think it's kind of bringing you

Speaker:

back to a former day and time. I remember this. You'll find humor in this.

Speaker:

But, like, I was like, you know, when I was in college and as I

Speaker:

started adulting and I would travel, I remember would just. I would have to travel

Speaker:

with my magazines. I would have my Conde Nast travel magazine, my

Speaker:

gq, my Esquire, you know, I had all these magazines

Speaker:

that I carried with me. And then, of course, the iPhone came along and the

Speaker:

iPad, and you could put all that on your, you know, on your digital device.

Speaker:

So it was kind of cool. The novelty of it was great. But then I've

Speaker:

kind of come back to a place where, like, I get the Atlantic, and

Speaker:

I actually get the actual physical magazine. I love that for the Atlantic.

Speaker:

And it comes to my house. It's the only magazine that I get that physically

Speaker:

comes to my house outside of the magazines that I go around town

Speaker:

getting, like, cityscapes and yours and the new Fayetteville

Speaker:

magazine. So I think it's. You know, there's. People are kind of craving

Speaker:

that. They really are kind of coming back to that coffee

Speaker:

table mentality of, like, sitting around the coffee table,

Speaker:

picking up a book, picking up a magazine, and reading and just,

Speaker:

you know, perusing through. Yeah, and I love that we're

Speaker:

really focusing on stories and being hyper local and

Speaker:

making sure that we're putting real stories by real people in the magazine. I love

Speaker:

that. Well, I mean, I was actually. I'm a real person, and I actually got

Speaker:

a real spot. Wait, you are a real person. That's great

Speaker:

to know. And I had a chance. I mean, I was so honored when you

Speaker:

asked me. You have a dad column? We do. And I was

Speaker:

honored when you asked me to write an article and I wrote an article

Speaker:

about my relationship with my grandmother. And you know, I've mentioned,

Speaker:

I've mentioned my grandmother before on this podcast. And you know, one of the things

Speaker:

that she had said to me early on was that I was going to have

Speaker:

three boys. She knew this. I don't know how she knew this because she was

Speaker:

dead and gone long before I had my first child, but she said I was

Speaker:

going to have three boys. And she said, and I'll never forget this. They're going

Speaker:

to do to you what you did to me and your grandfather. And not

Speaker:

in a bad way, but just like, you know, you're going to have a lot

Speaker:

of the same experiences that we had raising you. Because I, I mean, I live

Speaker:

with my mom. And when, I'll never forget when my grandmother, my parents got

Speaker:

divorced at a really young age. My grandparents told my mom, listen, you've got a

Speaker:

great job. You should save your money so you can buy a house. Come live

Speaker:

with us, Bring Randy. And we all lived in the same town in New Jersey.

Speaker:

And so I, you know, I was kind of raised in a multi generational household

Speaker:

where I had, I had a grandfather and a grandmother. I had two mothers,

Speaker:

basically. Yeah, you did. So, yeah. But my grandmother always said, yeah,

Speaker:

what you did to us, you know, these kids are gonna do to you. And

Speaker:

man, she was not lying at all. And so that article which

Speaker:

I will link to in the show notes, was kind of like my

Speaker:

ode to my grandmother. But I appreciate having

Speaker:

that opportunity to kind of share and tell that story. And as I've read

Speaker:

other articles that have come out since then, I'm just like,

Speaker:

yeah, I mean, Brian Fitton and a few others people that I know have

Speaker:

written really great articles. But I mean, there's just, there's something to be said for

Speaker:

that when you can, especially for a more localized publication where you

Speaker:

can read articles written by people that you actually know in

Speaker:

real life, which is kind of cool. And that's something that I am

Speaker:

not, I don't take lightly at all. So listen, I want to ask

Speaker:

you this because this is around the whole storytelling thing, but

Speaker:

Peekaboo runs a lot of first person blog style storytelling

Speaker:

from local parents rather than just traditional journalism. Right.

Speaker:

But getting that content requires real relationship work.

Speaker:

Meeting people for coffee, hearing their story, then writing

Speaker:

custom prompts to actually help them write it. Why does it have to be

Speaker:

that hands on. Well, that's a good question. I keep saying that. That's a

Speaker:

good question. It really, it gets to the

Speaker:

heart of people's stories oftentimes because of

Speaker:

the format and how we're doing this, because we're having it

Speaker:

written, first person point of view. And not everyone is a writer,

Speaker:

so not everyone. You know, we talk to people and they get really nervous. They're

Speaker:

like, well, I want to share my story, but I don't write. And I'm like,

Speaker:

I promise I can help you through this. Sure. And so in a way, it's

Speaker:

an opportunity for them to share their voice. And the

Speaker:

relationship part of it is important because this is the community

Speaker:

that we live in. And those relationships are so valuable and

Speaker:

so important and integral to how that story gets

Speaker:

written and read eventually. And I love

Speaker:

the process. I love that that is how Peekaboo was

Speaker:

back in the day. A lot of the stories were first person point of view,

Speaker:

not all, but a lot of them. And I wanted to carry on that tradition

Speaker:

because I think it hits you in a different way. I think it makes it

Speaker:

a little bit more personable. I think it gives people in our community

Speaker:

an opportunity to share their voice, an opportunity to use their

Speaker:

words, to share their story. And I don't know that I'd do it

Speaker:

any other way. I've thought about that a lot. I've actually thought about that recently

Speaker:

a lot too, of like, oh man, we should get some like writers up in

Speaker:

here and kind of do more of a interview style. But it's working

Speaker:

right now how it is, and I love it. And what would you say to

Speaker:

somebody listening to this that is wondering how they can kind

Speaker:

of make their imprint here in northwest Arkansas

Speaker:

with regard to the relationships that are required to be able

Speaker:

to even do this? Right? Because again, you just reached out to me kind

Speaker:

of casual, you're like, hey, you want to write an article for this? And I

Speaker:

was like, because I didn't ask you to write, you came to me. And I

Speaker:

was like, but again, it's because of a relationship that exists, right?

Speaker:

Our paths have crossed in a million different ways. And I think

Speaker:

that one of the things that I've enjoyed about northwest Arkansas, which I want people

Speaker:

to hear, whether you're relocating here, you're already here.

Speaker:

I think the minute that you take a moment to just lean into

Speaker:

what's happening in northwest Arkansas, you'll find a lot

Speaker:

of like minded people, a lot of folks that are on the same path

Speaker:

and journey that you Are. And you find that, like. So I have

Speaker:

a. I feel like I have a kindred connection with what you're doing because

Speaker:

I identify with it. Right. We're of a similar age range and

Speaker:

all that. And I think it's important for people to understand that. That

Speaker:

none of us are alone on this ride that we're on. Right. I mean,

Speaker:

there's a lot of folks around there, and you'd be surprised who's

Speaker:

willing to raise their hand and say, I'll help, or how can I help?

Speaker:

Or yes. What do you need? Right. And I just think

Speaker:

it's important. And so I drive this home to my kids. I don't know if

Speaker:

you. I'm assuming you share this with your kids, but relationships mean

Speaker:

everything. They really. It is the really only economy

Speaker:

that I have ever operated in, especially here in northwest Arkansas.

Speaker:

But just in general, you know, your only real value

Speaker:

is the people that you're able to connect with. Right. That is your true

Speaker:

worth. It really is. I think it's important. And I think that

Speaker:

one thing when I. I am an extrovert. Yeah. So I have

Speaker:

no problem talking to every stranger that exists in our world.

Speaker:

Right, Right. I got that from my dad, actually, in our June issue. I actually

Speaker:

wrote the Dad's Corner this month because we have a lot of

Speaker:

dad stories and the magazine overall. And so I

Speaker:

wrote it from the perspective of being a daughter, a wife, and a mom.

Speaker:

Sure. And my dad, he talked to everyone we. Grocery store

Speaker:

line. And I used to get embarrassed and be like, why do you have to

Speaker:

talk to every single person? And that's what I do

Speaker:

now. And I love it. I absolutely love meeting people.

Speaker:

Strangers are just friends I haven't met yet. Exactly. Exactly.

Speaker:

But that's. Not everyone. Not everyone can be an extrovert. Not

Speaker:

everyone can just strike up a conversation with a stranger, and

Speaker:

that's okay. So I really want to just. Just kind

Speaker:

of just encourage those out there that if you aren't an extrovert,

Speaker:

find an extrovert and tag along with them and they will help

Speaker:

you. Danielle, who is my co host for People of Northwest Arkansas

Speaker:

podcast, she laughs because she is not the person

Speaker:

that will go up to people and talk to people. Like, we've gone to events

Speaker:

together, and we went to the TEDx talks in

Speaker:

Bentonville, and they had us do an activity where

Speaker:

we were getting up and we were gonna go talk to a stranger and meet

Speaker:

them and ask them these questions. And she just leans over and goes, this

Speaker:

is my worst nightmare. And I was like, I Got you.

Speaker:

I got you. And she did fine. Just follow my lead. Yeah, she did

Speaker:

fine. All fine on her own. But she laughs and it's kind of a joke

Speaker:

amongst us. If we're having a meeting in a coffee shop,

Speaker:

I'm talking to everybody and then she's meeting all of those people because she

Speaker:

doesn't have to meet them initially, she gets introduced to them. And

Speaker:

so find yourself some extroverts to tag along with and,

Speaker:

you know, go to some places where you can find people like you,

Speaker:

you know, like go to the coffee shops, the libraries, the music stores, the

Speaker:

places where you're going to find like minded people. And it's okay, you don't have

Speaker:

to talk to people either. But relationships are so important and so

Speaker:

valuable and I love that we're so connected. Like you were saying, I knew you.

Speaker:

So I reached out to you for the Dads column and you said yes.

Speaker:

Not everyone in the issue I know initially. And so having

Speaker:

people who can connect to me with someone else and say, hey, I need a

Speaker:

story about adoption, or I need to know. I need some people

Speaker:

recommended to me about childhood cancer. And so then people are

Speaker:

recommended and then I get to know them and have coffee with them or a

Speaker:

conversation with them and get to hear their story and kind of present

Speaker:

it in the way that we're presenting it through a magazine and through an article.

Speaker:

And it's been really awesome. Yeah. And no, I can only imagine.

Speaker:

And I mean, again, you know, people always ask, how do you get so many

Speaker:

people on your podcast? And I'm like, you know, I just made connections with

Speaker:

people. I mean, it's all relationships. I mean, eventually it took on a life of

Speaker:

its own. Yes. But at the onset, I tell people all the time, like

Speaker:

my first 15 or 20 episodes, it was all because of one

Speaker:

person. One person introduced me to somebody that introduced me to somebody

Speaker:

that introduced. But I can trace it all back to one individual. So you

Speaker:

don't. That's awesome. You also don't need to know a gajillion folks. So true.

Speaker:

You can have a couple of strategic friends. And I guarantee you there's

Speaker:

one strategic friend out there that's like Danielle, that's that

Speaker:

extrovert that, you know, has never met a stranger that she didn't

Speaker:

want to say hi to that will be able to make those

Speaker:

introductions for you. And it doesn't take much. And I'll give folks another

Speaker:

tip that I learned from A young man, Dr. Joe

Speaker:

Daniels, and he did this exercise when he was in grad School

Speaker:

at the U of A. And he just sat down and had coffee with a

Speaker:

hundred people. I love that. Like, no agenda. There was

Speaker:

no ask. Because I always try to make that very clear. I'm not. You know,

Speaker:

I don't go around asking people for anything. As a matter of fact, I keep

Speaker:

all my asks in my pocket because I want, you know, you never know.

Speaker:

When you really need something, then you can make an ask. That's true.

Speaker:

But, yeah, he did this whole exercise where he just met 100 people for

Speaker:

coffee. I was one of those. I was privileged enough to be one of them.

Speaker:

And, yeah, I mean, that for me was. It was just a reminder

Speaker:

that something as simple as a cup of roasted coffee,

Speaker:

sitting down for a half an hour and just chatting with somebody and getting to

Speaker:

understand them, where they come from, their world perspective,

Speaker:

what they're working on, what really keeps them up at night,

Speaker:

what wakes them up in the morning, all of these things play into

Speaker:

it. Because, I mean, again, none of us are. You know, that would.

Speaker:

I think what people don't understand is that especially for folks that are

Speaker:

going through things, a lot of times, people tend to

Speaker:

separate themselves from everybody else, but that's actually the time when you need to be

Speaker:

connected with other people. I agree. Right. I mean, there are moments and times

Speaker:

when you need to shut the door from all the outside noise so that you

Speaker:

can focus on yourself. And that's an ongoing thing. But I think for

Speaker:

individuals, and I know I'm like this. I thrive

Speaker:

off of these connections. Like, this is like, you know, and people are like,

Speaker:

how are you able to do that? I'm like, listen, me doing podcasting

Speaker:

and interviewing people is like breathing. Right? It's just. It's

Speaker:

that easy. I don't think about it. I'm not like, oh, this is a chore,

Speaker:

or whatever. I was. I've been looking forward to this conversation all day long. And

Speaker:

I've been like, man, I can't wait to. You know, this is like. This is

Speaker:

like my lunch break for me, that I'm just. I'm just coming and having this

Speaker:

conversation because it feeds my soul in terms of, you

Speaker:

know, what matters to me, and I think we all need to

Speaker:

find that. What does that. And I. I would venture to say that in a

Speaker:

lot of instances, and I'm going off on a diatribe here, but in a lot

Speaker:

of instances, it's a good one. It's those connections with other people

Speaker:

is ultimately what feeds us. That's why. And I'm going back to especially Young

Speaker:

men that struggle with this even more than young girls. The loneliness

Speaker:

thing is a curse. And I'm trying to help young men, my sons

Speaker:

included. I'm going through this with my boys. I have a 19, a 21

Speaker:

year old and a 16 year old going on 30. But

Speaker:

I'm trying to get these guys to understand that

Speaker:

they can't sequester themselves in their room. You know,

Speaker:

World of Warcraft and all this other stuff. These games are great, but you've got

Speaker:

to be able to get out and be around people. And, you know, I'm really

Speaker:

thankful that my sons have started to kind of pick up on that. But I

Speaker:

know there are people listening to this that are struggling with that, with their kids,

Speaker:

and it's real. And so my encouragement is to keep

Speaker:

pushing, keep trying, and sometimes you just need one person

Speaker:

to make that difference. Right. And to kind of help them out. And so

Speaker:

that simply is my encouragement. But for any one of us, especially if you're here

Speaker:

and in northwest Arkansas and you feel alone, I'm telling you that there

Speaker:

is always an opportunity to do something. From Bella Vista

Speaker:

down to West Fork, there's always something going on, everything

Speaker:

in between. So there is no excuse. And you can start out

Speaker:

small. And I say that. And now as I'm talking about this,

Speaker:

I realize that there is an event tonight that's at the day that

Speaker:

we're recording this episode. There is an event that they've never done before

Speaker:

called speed friending. Oh, and it's fun. Yeah, it is.

Speaker:

It's just kind of like going through, like, imagine going through and meeting with different

Speaker:

people that you've never met before. They're doing it at the library now. Originally

Speaker:

they had set it up for like 30 or 40 people, but they've had an

Speaker:

overwhelming response. And now all of a sudden. Yeah. All of a sudden they're

Speaker:

like, we had to move the room from one, you know, and that's a good

Speaker:

problem to have. I told, I told the programmer that's doing it here at the

Speaker:

library. I said, that's a good problem to have where you're at the last

Speaker:

minute having to move the room because you've got. And I

Speaker:

said, if nothing else, that speaks to the state that we're currently in right

Speaker:

now that people are lonely. Yeah. And they need, they want, they're

Speaker:

craving connection. Yeah. And I'm here to tell you that that connection

Speaker:

can be had in northwest Arkansas for the small price of zero.

Speaker:

Yeah. Doesn't cost a lot. But you do have to put yourself out there

Speaker:

and make some connections. Yeah. You have to put yourself out there. And if you're

Speaker:

one of the people that's part of the organizing of those events or

Speaker:

you're an extrovert at those events, look for those people. Look

Speaker:

for the people that are on the fringe. Look for the people that are

Speaker:

not approaching others and are not being approached. And

Speaker:

go and approach them and make them feel welcomed and make them feel

Speaker:

like they belong there. Because there are so many people in this world

Speaker:

who are not like Randy or I, where we just go in and we

Speaker:

talk to everybody. There are tons of people that know,

Speaker:

need to be approached and. Because it

Speaker:

takes so much guts for an introvert to push themselves out

Speaker:

there and to go to these events and then they show

Speaker:

up and no one talks to them. Exactly. And it just. That just sucks.

Speaker:

Don't let that happen. If you see people standing there by

Speaker:

themselves, go talk to them. Yeah. I constantly want to be that

Speaker:

person that's like. And I have no problem talking to everyone. Right.

Speaker:

Yeah, I have no problem. Well, and it's so funny because. And I will give

Speaker:

some people hope is actually. I am not a textbook

Speaker:

extrovert. Okay. I'm actually an ambivert. Okay. Which is, you

Speaker:

know, an amber version's a real thing. It's been studied. Daniel Pink

Speaker:

has talked about it. But amber version is somebody that kind of lives in the

Speaker:

spectrum between introversion and extroversion. I can

Speaker:

kind of go both ways when I need to. I can be out there and

Speaker:

you think, oh, man, this guy's a car salesman. You know? But then there are

Speaker:

times when I am a little bit more reserved, and so I kind of can

Speaker:

navigate, and I get it. And then I read Susan Cain's book Quiet,

Speaker:

which is a really good book, especially if you're an introvert and you're

Speaker:

listening to this and you've never read Susan Cain's book about

Speaker:

what really makes you tick. That's a good book to read because

Speaker:

it really is helpful for people to kind of have language

Speaker:

around how they operate and how they see things. Yes.

Speaker:

Right. Because I know a lot of people that are very introverted but are very

Speaker:

successful. Yeah. So, you know. Yeah, for sure. My daughter is an

Speaker:

introvert. She's in a family of extroverts, bless her

Speaker:

heart. We'll have to pray for her. That's right.

Speaker:

Exactly. So she does. Okay. She's so sweet.

Speaker:

She's so creative, and she actually writes for the magazine. Oh,

Speaker:

that's. I love that she has the things that she's passionate about

Speaker:

and does a really great job at writing. She actually is

Speaker:

an amazing reader too. She's in fifth grade and has a ninth grade reading level.

Speaker:

I love that she's like, when can we go to the library? She wants to

Speaker:

go to the library. Yeah. She should be here with you. I know. She should

Speaker:

be putting her on notice whenever she listens to this episode. We're shaming you because

Speaker:

you're not at the library today, but it's all good because we know you'll be

Speaker:

here soon. So. Yes, I'm glad you mentioned that, though, because again,

Speaker:

you know, doing this magazine has been a family affair for you. Right.

Speaker:

And I do want to talk just as we wind up a little bit about

Speaker:

the entrepreneurial heavy lifting that exists. The realities

Speaker:

of it. You've been really transparent about leaving a stable corporate

Speaker:

marketing job to come back to serial entrepreneurship. It's been hard.

Speaker:

There've been late nights. Yes. Family sacrifice.

Speaker:

Reeducating advertisers on a pricing model that hasn't been

Speaker:

updated since 2008. What does it actually take to

Speaker:

keep your momentum going when you're deep in those

Speaker:

early stage trenches of trying to overcome some of those

Speaker:

challenges? Yeah, I mean, it's tough at times.

Speaker:

I think being a little. What is it? What's the word that

Speaker:

I want to say? Delusional, maybe.

Speaker:

Might be part of it is, you know, I think that there's got

Speaker:

to be a little bit of delusion when you're doing something

Speaker:

this big and doing something that is taking up so much

Speaker:

of your time, so much of your money, and just so much of

Speaker:

you as a person. I think the things that

Speaker:

really keep me moving forward and driving me forward in

Speaker:

this is the people and the stories

Speaker:

and this community. Because it is. I just, it's one of those

Speaker:

things where I can just see that, like, horizon, like,

Speaker:

we are hitting it, we're getting closer to it and closer to it. I mean,

Speaker:

it's always going to be a journey. There's not going to be this like, oh,

Speaker:

we've made it. Because I'm going to always want more because I'm that person that

Speaker:

I'm like, we're going to do this and now we're going to do this. And

Speaker:

my husband's like, can we just, can we do good at this for a while?

Speaker:

Like, can you slow down for a little bit? I'm like, we're going to start

Speaker:

this thing and this thing and this thing and this thing. You know, we have

Speaker:

a lot of goals. I mean, I have several Year goals that I

Speaker:

have set for myself and for the publication, for our business.

Speaker:

And we are. Technically, our business is Peekaboo Family

Speaker:

Media. And we want to be more than just a

Speaker:

magazine. The magazine is the heart of it. The magazine

Speaker:

is the first touch point for people, but it will go beyond

Speaker:

that. And so I think knowing that we're trying to build more

Speaker:

keeps me going. I think my team keeps me going. The

Speaker:

people that are contributing keep me going. Our photographer, the

Speaker:

advertisers that do believe in us and that are like, yeah, these

Speaker:

prices make sense. And, yeah, we want to partner with you because it's more than

Speaker:

just ads, you know, like, we're developing relationships with our

Speaker:

partners, and we're putting them in our magazine in different ways, and we're

Speaker:

interacting with them in ways beyond just the

Speaker:

printed advertisement. Yeah. One of the things that we started

Speaker:

doing this year is we. Speaking of IRL, we started

Speaker:

doing these monthly IRLs for Peekaboo, and we

Speaker:

are meeting with our partners and our

Speaker:

contributors once a month, right. When the magazine comes out, so they can see it

Speaker:

first. They can get their hands on it first. And just interacting with them and

Speaker:

just having time to take pictures. You invited me to one of those. Yeah. And

Speaker:

I. Yeah, you're invited to the next one, too. We're actually. The next one's going

Speaker:

to be in Fayetteville. All right. Because we have a lot of. Put me down.

Speaker:

Well, and also because we. I need to send this out to

Speaker:

all the podcasts. We did a page of local

Speaker:

podcasts hosted by Men. Like Men. Podcasts hosted

Speaker:

like local Men. And so you are on this list. And so. Cool. Cool.

Speaker:

There you go. So you definitely need to come to it. And it's. I will

Speaker:

do that. It's a lot of fun. And it's fun to see people's faces and

Speaker:

get excited to see themselves in print, because it's a novelty.

Speaker:

It really, truly is. Can I tell you how many copies

Speaker:

of Peekaboo I have sent around the country? I love it. I sent. I want

Speaker:

to say, because I have family all over the place, but I sent, like, 15.

Speaker:

I love it. Of course, my mom got four. She wanted, like,

Speaker:

send me five. She kept saying, I want more. And then I sent them

Speaker:

everywhere. Yes. In North America. So, Mama Wilburn, we

Speaker:

can send you more if you want. I have. I still have plenty of copies

Speaker:

of that issue, so. No. And so I love that. And that

Speaker:

speaks of one last question that I have for you. And there was a story

Speaker:

that kind of stuck with me, and it was the piece that you published from

Speaker:

a father here in northwest Arkansas writing about his two year old son's battle with

Speaker:

stage four cancer. And then the social campaign you

Speaker:

built up around this, you figured out a way to shower

Speaker:

that family with birthday love. How do you think about the

Speaker:

relationship between local media

Speaker:

vulnerability? Because I think whenever we tell a story, we can become

Speaker:

vulnerable in that place. And then the community compassion

Speaker:

that exists, especially here in northwest Arkansas, I think it's really

Speaker:

high. I'm not sure if that's the answer, what you're looking for, what you're

Speaker:

asking, but I think that there's a lot of people

Speaker:

that will, that relate to it. Whether

Speaker:

it's something that they've been touched by or a friend that's been

Speaker:

touched by it. It also brings awareness to things that

Speaker:

maybe they weren't aware of before and

Speaker:

families who need help that maybe aren't getting. You

Speaker:

know, I think that there are so many

Speaker:

stories out there about XYZ or

Speaker:

a person here or person there and not everyone's going to be

Speaker:

featured. You know, and so when there's, when there's different

Speaker:

outlets and different media outlets, from TV to radio

Speaker:

to documentary films to magazines and newspapers,

Speaker:

there's just so many different media outlets that exist. And so if we're all

Speaker:

telling all the same stories, we're missing out on

Speaker:

more people. Sure. And so being able to tell stories of people that maybe

Speaker:

aren't in every other magazine or in every other

Speaker:

TV station, that's, you know, there's, I feel like I'm stumbling over.

Speaker:

I get what you're saying, but I think, and I think people need to understand

Speaker:

is that first of all, that individual who wrote that article,

Speaker:

they are not the only father that has a child

Speaker:

that has, you know, childhood cancer in northwest Arkansas.

Speaker:

So him writing and being transparent about the challenges that he's

Speaker:

going through right now with this and struggling as a father seeing. Because I

Speaker:

don't think any parent wants to see their kid struggle. Right. Or be sick.

Speaker:

And so it's like, man, you know, they are speaking volumes to

Speaker:

other parents that may be going through something very similar. Yeah. And that's why I

Speaker:

think it's important for people to share their testimony, to share what they're going through.

Speaker:

Because you just never know who's also going through the same exact

Speaker:

thing. And I guarantee you there's somebody going through the same

Speaker:

exact thing. Oh, absolutely. When we announced that we were purchasing

Speaker:

the brand and bringing the magazine back, a woman had reached out to me

Speaker:

who I've Known for years, and her kids are

Speaker:

older. And she told me a story about how when Peekaboo was in

Speaker:

print before and she read a story about

Speaker:

adhd, a parent had shared their personal story and their

Speaker:

journey with their child's adhd. And this was probably

Speaker:

back in, like, probably somewhere between 2008 and

Speaker:

2010, I want to say, is when this story probably came out. And

Speaker:

there wasn't as much information about it then. And she was sitting in a

Speaker:

doctor's office, read the story, and she just started going, huh, well,

Speaker:

that's interesting. And because of that parent's story

Speaker:

in Peekaboo magazine, she was able to ask her

Speaker:

daughter's doctor about ADHD and her child and

Speaker:

got her child on medication, and it changed her life.

Speaker:

And, like, I get goosebumps. I get kind of emotional, because

Speaker:

that is powerful. Yeah. And that's just one story.

Speaker:

That's just one story. Exactly. And so. So how

Speaker:

many more stories like that exist to where not only do we

Speaker:

feel seen as people and in this community, but we can

Speaker:

relate and we can connect, and who knows if somebody is

Speaker:

gonna pass by somebody that they read about and hopefully

Speaker:

they take the opportunity to meet them. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I

Speaker:

think that is a clear answer for why

Speaker:

Peekaboo magazine, why you started it back up in

Speaker:

2025. I mean, just answering that question is

Speaker:

perfect for that. So. Yeah, I appreciate that. So a couple of rapid fire

Speaker:

questions for you as we close out. We've put you through a number

Speaker:

of things. What's your go to casual date night spot? Ooh, a casual

Speaker:

date night spot is going to be Parkside Public. Okay. In

Speaker:

downtown Rogers. Okay. Parkside Public. Love,

Speaker:

love their burgers, love all their loaded

Speaker:

fries or messy fries or whatever they're called. They have, like, they have a few

Speaker:

different varieties, and they're really good. They're really good. Okay. Parkside Public.

Speaker:

All right. And what about where do you like to go to fuel

Speaker:

up on coffee during a big production week? Oh, obviously

Speaker:

Confident Coffee. There we go. Okay. If you follow me at all, you know that

Speaker:

I'm going to be at Confident Coffee. It is one of her Cool. So,

Speaker:

yeah. And she's out in the community doing a lot of great things. She really

Speaker:

is. But honestly, there are so many great coffee shops around here too. And I

Speaker:

like to frequently all of them. And so thinking about that guy who did the

Speaker:

hundred coffee dates, I was like, I kind of want to do that. So many

Speaker:

of my coffee times are meetings. And

Speaker:

so right now. And so it's just like, nice to have coffee and get to

Speaker:

know somebody that you don't know. I want to do that again, man.

Speaker:

Yeah. Well, listen, Danielle, this has been a great conversation. It's a

Speaker:

real reminder that no matter how fast the tech moves

Speaker:

and it is moving fast, people still want to be seen. They want to

Speaker:

hold something in their hands, and they want to read a story about their neighbor.

Speaker:

What Danielle and her family are doing with Peekaboo is exactly the kind of

Speaker:

work that keeps this region from losing itself. In all the growth,

Speaker:

they're making sure families feel seen, connected, and

Speaker:

celebrated. The legacy is in great hands. So we want to

Speaker:

thank you so much for joining us on this episode. Thank you for having me.

Speaker:

Absolutely. It's a lot of fun. To find a physical copy of Peekaboo

Speaker:

magazine, check local libraries. The Fayetteville Public Library carries it.

Speaker:

Museums, family focused spots from Fayetteville up to Bella

Speaker:

Vista and Siloam Springs. You can explore their themes and

Speaker:

digital [email protected] and

Speaker:

follow the beautiful layout on Instagram

Speaker:

Peekaboomagazine NWA all right, and if you

Speaker:

haven't yet, search your favorite podcast app. For people of Northwest

Speaker:

Arkansas, Danielle and her co host, the other Danielle, are

Speaker:

telling more of these great stories on a regular basis.

Speaker:

That's a wrap on this episode of I Am Northwest Arkansas. If this conversation left

Speaker:

you with something, a name to look up, a magazine to grab, or

Speaker:

just a little more appreciation for what's being built here, pass it along,

Speaker:

leave us a review and share it with a friend. And as always,

Speaker:

keep showing up for this community because it will keep showing up for

Speaker:

you. I'm Randy Wilburn, and this has been I Am

Speaker:

Northwest Arkansas. Peace.

Speaker:

We hope you enjoyed this episode of I Am Northwest

Speaker:

Arkansas. Check us out each and every week. Available

Speaker:

anywhere that great podcasts can be found. For show

Speaker:

notes or more information on becoming a guest, visit

Speaker:

imnorthwestarkansas.com we'll

Speaker:

see you next week on IM Northwest

Speaker:

Arkansas.

Chapters

Video

More from YouTube