Open An Indie Bookstore? Sounds Like A Story!

When Your Life's Work Gets Voted Out

Send Fletch a Voicemail or Text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2505690/fan_mail/new] Sherry McIntyre on Reinvention and Retirement. A single vote can erase a program overnight, even if it shaped a whole community for decades. That’s what happened to Sherry McIntyre, a Modesto, California teacher who spent 25 years teaching a World Religions class that was required for graduation in public school, a “first and only” experiment in religious literacy at that scale. When the school board moved to phase it out to make room for a required Ethnic Studies course, the loss wasn’t just curricular, it was personal. We sit with the tension that makes conversations about religion in schools so loaded and so necessary: how do you teach about faith traditions while honoring the First Amendment and keeping the classroom safe for everyone? Sherry’s answer is simple and hard to execute: Teach, not preach. She shares what changed for students when they replaced ignorance with knowledge, how the course held steady even in the 9/11 aftermath, and why she believes understanding world religions helps teens interpret conflict without defaulting to stereotypes. Then we widen the lens to midlife transition and retirement identity. If you’re known for one thing and that thing disappears, who are you next? Sherry talks about grief, courage, saying yes, mentoring other teachers, and stepping into a third act that includes travel and finally writing the book she’s been carrying for years. If you’re staring down a career change, a forced pivot, or a door that just slammed shut, this conversation offers a practical way forward: find the window, and climb. If it resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend in transition, and leave a review so more people can find The Mango Times. ⸻ Guest Information Sherry McIntyre is a longtime educator, thoughtful communicator, and TEDx Modesto speaker who has spent decades helping students wrestle with big ideas, questions, and worldview. As she steps into a new season beyond the classroom, Sherry brings wisdom, curiosity, and a candid perspective on identity, purpose, and what it means to navigate life when one chapter ends and another begins. Resources and Links Sherry's TEDx Talk:   [https://www.facebook.com/Heruurbanfarming]Dreams, World Peace and Freshman [https://youtu.be/1RO353drfs0?si=fSserWY1oNIYFznB] Music used in this episode: All music in this episode is licensed for use through Epidemic Sound. ⸻ IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AT THE MANGO TIMES, PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW BY... ✅ Send me a voicemail/text and let me know what you think. ✅ Share this episode with a friend RIGHT NOW! ✅ PLEASE LEAVE ME A REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS HERE. [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/themangotimes/id1507005131] Support the show [https://buymeacoffee.com/themangotimes]

From PE Teacher To Soul Farmer

Send Fletch a Voicemail or Text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2505690/fan_mail/new] He didn’t just switch jobs, he switched directions. One day Tyrean Lewis is teaching PE and mentoring kids in St. Louis. A few turns later he’s managing teams, trying to “do the responsible thing,” and still feeling that internal pull that says, this isn’t it. Then food becomes the wake-up call. After a year of eating vegan and chasing healthier options, Tyrean starts noticing what’s missing in his own neighbourhood: real produce, consistent quality, and simple access. He connects the dots to food deserts and food justice and makes a decision that sounds small at first, grow something in buckets, but quickly becomes a full-on urban farming mission. We talk about the risk of leaving steady work, the rough first seasons, and the lesson he learns the hard way. Tyrean also brings a perspective you don’t hear every day in conversations about sustainable agriculture and local food systems. He shares how ancestry, spirituality, and intention shape his identity as a “soul farmer,” including his African naming ceremony and practices that keep him grounded in purpose. From land leases and community trust to accelerators, pitch competitions, grants, and building a real team, Heru Urban Farming grows into a model that mixes farming, education, and outreach, including school field trips and partnerships across the St. Louis metro. If you’re in a midlife pivot, craving a second half adventure, or stuck in something that no longer fits, this one is a reminder to listen to the knot in your stomach and move anyway. Subscribe to The Mango Times, share this with a friend who needs permission to pivot, and leave a review if the story hits home. ⸻ Guest Information Tyrean "Heru" Lewis is an urban farmer, educator, and community builder based in the St. Louis area. After years working as a physical education teacher, Tyrean made a bold midlife pivot into regenerative urban farming, founding Heru Urban Farming to help reconnect people with food, health, and the land around them. Through hands-on growing, teaching, and storytelling, he has become a passionate advocate for sustainable agriculture, local food systems, and personal transformation. Tyrean brings a grounded, practical approach to farming while encouraging others to rethink what’s possible in the second half of life. Resources and Links Facebook: Heru Urban Farming [https://www.facebook.com/Heruurbanfarming] Instagram: Heru Urban Farming [https://www.instagram.com/heruurbanfarming] Website: Heru Urban Farming [https://heruurbanfarming.com/] Music used in this episode: All music in this episode is licensed for use through Epidemic Sound. ⸻ IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AT THE MANGO TIMES, PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW BY... ✅ Send me a voicemail/text and let me know what you think. ✅ Share this episode with a friend RIGHT NOW! ✅ PLEASE LEAVE ME A REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS HERE. [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/themangotimes/id1507005131] Support the show [https://buymeacoffee.com/themangotimes]

Open An Indie Bookstore? Sounds Like A Story!

Send Fletch a Voicemail or Text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2505690/fan_mail/new] Most people say they want more community. Will and Paula DeBoard actually built it...one shelf at a time...by opening Bookish Modesto, an independent bookstore in Modesto, California, at a time when most people think bookstores are disappearing. During this interview, I kept coming back to the same idea: books don’t just sell stories. They create an environment where people start recognizing and reconnecting with each other. We talk about the moment their bookstore idea stopped being a fun dinner conversation and became a real plan, along with the practical reality of starting a small business without a traditional retail background. Paula shares how she learned the behind-the-scenes work—inventory, systems, all of it—while Will gets candid about what it felt like to take a leap after a lifetime of steady work. From there, we go straight at the Amazon question: What does a local bookstore provides that online shopping never will? The answer might surprise you. Events, story times, local authors, and a store with an actual point of view. If you’ve been thinking about a midlife pivot, building something local, or investing in community, this one will resonate. If you enjoy the conversation, send me a voicemail/text, subscribe to The Mango Times, share it with a friend who loves books, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. ⸻ Guest Information Paula and Will DeBoard  are the founders of Bookish Modesto, an independent bookstore in Modesto’s college area. Leaving more traditional career paths, they built a space centered on books, community, and connection—now a gathering place for readers, writers, and neighbors looking for something more than just a transaction. Resources and Links Facebook: Bookish Modesto [https://www.facebook.com/BookishModesto] Website: Bookish Modesto [https://www.bookishmodesto.com/] Music used in this episode: All music in this episode is licensed for use through Epidemic Sound. ⸻ IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AT THE MANGO TIMES, PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW BY... ✅ Send me a voicemail/text and let me know what you think. ✅ Share this episode with a friend RIGHT NOW! ✅ PLEASE LEAVE ME A REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS HERE. [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/themangotimes/id1507005131] Support the show [https://buymeacoffee.com/themangotimes]

The Mango Times Origin Story

Send Fletch a Voicemail or Text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2505690/fan_mail/new] This bonus episode of The Mango Times Podcast comes from an interview I recently had with Kevin Delaney. During the interview, he asked about the origin of The Mango Times. I kept it simple and pulled that audio to make a simple episode for my listeners. This bonus drop is the raw origin story, pulled straight from a conversation and left unpolished on purpose. From early blogging days to a homeschool podcast where we chose the hard topics instead of the safe ones, I walk through the pivots that brought me here, including the long pursuit of a conversation with Josh Harris (I Kissed Dating Goodbye) and what that moment taught me about harm, apology, and honesty. If you care about storytelling, starting a podcast, or building community without pretending you have it all figured out, you’ll hear how one small creative habit can compound into something bigger than you planned. We also dig into the heart of the show: adventure at midlife. I push back on the shallow “midlife crisis” label, talk about motorcycles as just one expression of a lifelong pattern of exploring, and share what grief, 2020, and disillusionment with broken institutions did to my sense of direction. The thread that keeps me grounded is what my wife calls a “ministry of conversation” making space for people who are hungry for real connection. New feature: You can now text me or leave a one-minute voicemail, and I can drop your voice into a future episode. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s reinventing themselves, and leave a review then tell me: what project are you finally ready to start? ⸻ Guest Information No Guests This Episode Resources and Links A Brief History of The Mango Times [https://www.themangotimes.com/history] Music used in this episode: All music in this episode is licensed for use through Epidemic Sound. ⸻ IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AT THE MANGO TIMES, PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW BY... ✅ Send me a text/voicemail and let me know what you think. ✅ Share this episode with a friend RIGHT NOW! ✅ PLEASE LEAVE ME A REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS HERE. [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/themangotimes/id1507005131] ✅ Buy Me A Taco (LINK HERE [https://buymeacoffee.com/themangotimes]) Support the show [https://buymeacoffee.com/themangotimes]

Canoeing The Mississippi Was The Easy Part

Send Fletch a Voicemail or Text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2505690/fan_mail/new] A 2,200-mile canoe trip sounds like the wild part, until you hear what Dave Conway walked away from to get on the water. After nearly 40 years in the same role at the same church, Dave hits the midlife moment a lot of people quietly fear: the life you built no longer fits, and staying comfortable starts to feel like losing yourself. What follows is not a tidy “reinvention story” but a real one, full of faith, doubt, and the kind of courage that shows up before you have a plan. We talk through what it actually takes to canoe the full length of the Mississippi River from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico: dragging through shallow headwaters, portaging around dams, calling in to locks, sharing water with barges, and paddling nine to twelve hours a day. Dave also names the gritty realities that don’t make highlight reels, like brutal wind, mosquitoes, and the unnerving chaos of jumping Asian carp. Along the way, he notices the human side of America too, from “Minnesota nice” distance to the warmth of Southern hospitality. But the heart of the conversation is a spiritual and emotional turning point. A book, a story about a sunk canoe, and one clear inner message reshape how Dave sees his work, his calling, and what it means to “let go.” We also dig into his Pacific Crest Trail experience, motorcycles, racing, and why adventure can become a vehicle for clarity in the second half of life. If you’re searching for midlife adventure, career change at 60, faith and uncertainty, or the courage to start over, this one will stay with you. ⸻ Guest Information Dave Conway lives in Modesto, California with his wife, Tanya, and they have two grown sons. He spent nearly 40 years working at a local church before stepping into a new season of life. At heart, Dave is an adventurer, with experiences that include canoeing the Mississippi River, riding a motorcycle to the Arctic Ocean, hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, and racing cars. When he’s not on the road or trail, he’s often building something in his shop or serving at his church. If you ask Dave what’s next, he’ll tell you: “Who knows, but I’m sure something interesting is about to come up. Resources and Links Instagram: Dave Conway [https://www.instagram.com/_mack.truck_/] Instagram: Dead Horse Riders [https://www.instagram.com/deadhorse_riders/] YouTube: Go Waldo Go - Pacific Crest Trail [https://www.youtube.com/@gowaldogo9151] Book Mentioned: The Last Arrow [https://a.co/d/0eyNO24Y] Music used in this episode: All music in this episode is licensed for use through Epidemic Sound. ⸻ IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AT THE MANGO TIMES, PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW BY... ✅ Send me a text and let me know what you think. ✅ Share this episode with a friend RIGHT NOW! ✅ PLEASE LEAVE ME A REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS HERE. [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/themangotimes/id1507005131] ✅ Buy Me A Taco (LINK HERE [https://buymeacoffee.com/themangotimes]) Support the show [https://buymeacoffee.com/themangotimes]