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Build In Norfolk
Welcome to Build in Norfolk! I’m Emma Bennett, Growth Manager at Invest Nebraska and Intersect Coworking and Incubator. This podcast is all about highlighting the builders, creators, and innovators shaping the future of Northeast Nebraska. Whether you’re a startup founder, small business owner, or just someone interested in the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem here, this podcast is for you.
Build In Norfolk
From Radio to Rural Roots: Sheila Jenkinson on Podcasting & Community
Storytelling has power—especially when it amplifies the voices of those working to transform their communities. Sheila Jenkinson knows this firsthand. After 20 years behind the radio microphone, she discovered new creative freedom through podcasting that allows her to showcase the renaissance happening across rural Nebraska.
During our conversation, Sheila shares her journey from adjusting cassette tapes and cart machines at her first radio gig to launching "Growing Small Town Nebraska," a podcast that started as a modest hobby and has grown into a platform publishing seven or more episodes monthly. What drives her? A cheerleader's heart and the belief that small towns deserve to "thrive rather than just survive."
The transformation we're witnessing in Norfolk exemplifies what's happening across the state—"This is not your mama's downtown," as Sheila puts it. Where once stood just a coffee shop and two restaurants, vibrant businesses now flourish. This revival mirrors stories she encounters in communities from Burwell to Grand Island, Shickley to Alliance. Through monthly features like "Sheila Shout Outs" and tourism partnerships, she creates ripples of visibility for small-town entrepreneurs and attractions.
Beyond content creation, Sheila offers valuable insights into the differences between traditional media and podcasting. While radio offered limited speaking opportunities—"you had like eight, ten seconds" between songs—podcasting provides the freedom to have meaningful conversations that connect with listeners seeking authentic human interaction. Her partnership with Intersect Coworking demonstrates how collaborative spaces foster both productivity and community connections.
Ready to discover Nebraska's hidden gems and the changemakers behind them? Subscribe to "Growing Small Town Nebraska" and join the movement celebrating rural revitalization. Better yet, follow Sheila's example and support local businesses on your next road trip—you might just find yourself in a transformed downtown that exceeds all expectations.
Welcome back to Buildin' Northwork, where we share the stories of the builders, thinkers and creators shaping Nebraska's entrepreneurial landscape. I'm your host, emma Bennett, and today's guest is someone you might recognize well, at least her voice. She's a storyteller, a connector and the host of Growing Small Town Nebraska, a podcast that shines a light on the people, possibilities, people and possibilities in rural Nebraska communities. I'm so excited to welcome Sheila Jenkinson to the show. We're talking about her journey from professional radio to rural podcasting, how she found a new creative freedom through Intersect Coworking and what she's learned about amplifying the voices of small town changemakers. Welcome, sheila. Well, that's a lot.
Sheila Jenkinson:Thank you, Emma.
Emma Bennett:You're welcome. You want to just kind of give us a quick intro and talk about, maybe just like an overview of what your career has looked like and what you're doing now.
Sheila Jenkinson:Okay so, starting with radio, or starting with what I'm doing. Okay, yeah so 20 years radio. I got my first on-air radio job with Clear 101 in Columbus back in 1996,.
Emma Bennett:I think there we go.
Sheila Jenkinson:Yeah, and so I might have been 98. It was 98. I was there for about two years morning show midday. They hired me as a part-time news director.
Emma Bennett:Nice.
Sheila Jenkinson:And the first day I went on the air with them, they decided I'd make good morning show and so I then went into a full-time radio career From there. I was about two years into that and I got a call from Dave Amick who was with US92, and I met with Dave and Mike with Flood Communications and then I started on the air. The first day that US92 went on the air here in North Fork I did not know the radio format, they wouldn't tell me, and so I just said, well, these are the ones I won't be on, but otherwise. And so I had a great morning show news director career there. And then I dropped down to part-time raising the family and I actually quit for after our daughter was born. And then a couple of years later they called and said, hey, come play radio. And so I did part-time for years and years on. That nice yeah.
Sheila Jenkinson:And then the podcasting growing small town Nebraska podcast I. It was going to be a little hobby and it was born out of the fact that there was so much revitalization going on throughout the state, especially here yes, it was a good example and in stanton and around the areas, and so just that idea of sharing those positive stories of growth and rebuilding. And that's how that got started. It was going to be twice a month and that's how it started as you know, that's not what it's at anymore we love an evolution.
Emma Bennett:I think you know it's something I I don't want to say I take for granted, but I almost do is like how lucky we are here in Norfolk to have the revitalization projects and efforts we've had. But then there's those little pockets in those little towns that we you know my family travels throughout the state occasionally and you find one and you're like oh, wow, wow, burwell has this or Ogallala has that, you know like, but I don't know about the 10 others. I think I follow okay, I know I follow so many more cute little boutiques and restaurants. After seeing what you guys post, I'm like, well, I need to go to Nebraska City, like yesterday, because there's so many cute things. So I appreciate it, but I think it's such a cool project and such a great way to utilize talents. You have to amplify those awesome ventures. So what really you kind of talked about, what inspired the podcast to start? Why did you feel called to highlight those rural stories?
Sheila Jenkinson:those rural stories Again, just kind of seeing the examples and wanting the small towns to thrive rather than just survive. It's a thrive or die situation for a lot of them right now. And so there was that and just I guess I just love positive stories. I always have. I'm a cheerleader at heart.
Sheila Jenkinson:Never really was one but I'm a cheerleader at heart and so I just enjoy talking about the good things that there are, and there are so many fantastic things in Nebraska to highlight, whether it's the small village of 250 people to Grand Island and a larger community that still has that small town feel Right, and the things that are going on there, and Norfolk I grew up around here.
Sheila Jenkinson:I grew up in Plainview and this is. I always say this is not your mama's downtown, because this is not. And I say that to my kids because my downtown looks different than what they see.
Emma Bennett:Oh, for sure.
Sheila Jenkinson:Yeah.
Emma Bennett:Yeah, yeah, I came back in 2019. So, right as everything was opening and 411 I think we literally went there the day they opened and it was it's so fun to see. It was district and 411 were the only two restaurants and the coffee shop yeah, it was, and like the coffee downtown coffee was the only thing down here yeah and now it's like I have three places to get coffee.
Emma Bennett:Yeah, I have. We have the space, we we have multiple restaurants, like my wallet doesn't love it, but I love it, um, and I will always support local.
Sheila Jenkinson:Just helping the economy. You got it Exactly that's what we're doing.
Emma Bennett:And I can't tell you I it, I think it trains you. Like I said, we're really lucky. I won't go to chain restaurants. Like when we travel even I'm like I want, want to find something local, even if it's a local chain, great. But like I don't want to go to a chain restaurant as much anymore because I want the businesses in our downtown to survive, right. So I do that when we travel too.
Sheila Jenkinson:So yeah, our rule and the kids will say that to their friends too like no, our rule was when we were traveling. We're not eating somewhere where we could eat at back home.
Emma Bennett:Yeah, yep, we do the same thing down. I mean outside of, like running through the airport.
Sheila Jenkinson:I need subway well, that's, that's necessity. That's a whole different thing. It has to happen once in a while absolutely.
Emma Bennett:Um, I want to talk a little bit about kind of the, the differences you know you talked about from being on air to then radio and now podcasting. It's all some form of digital media, but like what, what were some of the biggest things you learned that were different from even just radio to podcasting, and like how that background helped you and then how, what else you had to learn as you got into podcasts.
Sheila Jenkinson:Um yeah, podcasting is a whole different beast, and so you know I being being in radio for so long, that in itself evolved Okay when I graduated from college I was working with reels and cartridges and cassettes and. Cds had just come out, and learning to play those tracks, I would queue up a cassette tape with my finger. I mean, that's how old I? Am, and so that evolved as I went, and staying in there, even part-time, I think, helped me, because then it was computers and.
Sheila Jenkinson:I voice tracked my shift for years and years. I was not there, even though it sounded like I was there, and so that helped. I think I wasn't as afraid you know, a lot of podcasters don't have that background.
Sheila Jenkinson:Oh yeah, and so absolutely everything is new to them. Now, this is new equipment, but if you've mastered one kind of equipment, you can usually master another, and I think there's that as far as talking, it's what I do. It's what I've done forever and ever. So that is not an issue for me at all and I think having gives me the experience and the confidence to be able to do interviews very easily. But you're going to find because this is kind of new for you, right?
Emma Bennett:Oh, 100%. We don't have to talk about numbers. No, this is like the third interview I've done. So it is. It's completely different. My family, my friends joke that like thank God you're in marketing or some sort of community management, because I love to talk. So you would naturally think it's just comes natural. But it is, it's a learning curve and, as you said, like we were talking about the tools and stuff, I had to double check that we were recording. Uh, because that's like my biggest fears we'll get and it happens just so.
Sheila Jenkinson:You know a lot of grace in Nebraska, so it'll be okay if that happens you just re-record and pretend that didn't happen it's a practice run, it's fine and you're same with you. Like you'll find your niche and how this goes and you might be surprised at how it evolves and in what ways so, and I think we even have from like season one ish to season two.
Emma Bennett:you know, like we had the first few episodes and now we have this next set and in that that time very similar to you guys, like you went from two episodes a month to where you are now. We really found our identity and what built in Norfolk is and expanded our programming outside of the podcast studio into what we're doing in the community and with our founders too. So it does evolve, it does change.
Sheila Jenkinson:Yeah, and it's just me on the podcast. I am the sole host. Yes, but it did go from the two episodes a month, so now there are seven episodes a month, sometimes there's eight or nine. It just depends on if bonus things come my way and if I have the time, like, I will run this as a bonus episode for people to be able to hear this episode. Perfect. I love to do collaborations, so it was an easy yes when you asked.
Emma Bennett:I it does speak to though, like we've talked in other episodes about ecosystems and and building the community around you know like our focal point, but not everyone has the same strengths and that's what makes communities great, but it's amplifying those messages and it's and those partnerships. I think it's such an undervalued piece of building any business, building any ventures, is how you utilize those partnerships that you have.
Sheila Jenkinson:Yeah, and you don't know what those connections are going to look like down the road or what that will lead into, and that's true for everyone.
Emma Bennett:Oh, for sure it. It is one of those things. You just you don't, you can't say yes to everything.
Sheila Jenkinson:But you do have to. I say a lot of no's now actually. Oh, teach me how Well once your schedule is completely full, you will learn very quickly.
Emma Bennett:Luckily we still have some flexibility in that schedule but, it is. It is one of those things. You just have those conversations and you explore those opportunities, which is important. Is there anything you know? Like as you were at the radio, you were producing that kind of content to now being able to control the content you produce Is that exciting for you? Is that different? Did you have that freedom in the radio space?
Sheila Jenkinson:No, not a lot of freedom in the radio space you know, and not a lot of talking, okay, because I guess some in the morning show, but I was a co-host and and yes, there was more talking during the morning show part, but midday when you're introducing songs, you had like eight, ten seconds, not as much personal time to talk, you know. So I think my favorite one was one time I was recording and I was live actually, and a spider literally dropped down in front of me and I had this moment and that's what people remember probably the most they like your, they like your real when your realness.
Sheila Jenkinson:things like a spider drops down and I said, holy cow, that's a huge spider. At least I said cow, there you go. But so that you know there's little funny things along the way, but we're all human and we all have those things that happen.
Emma Bennett:I think people crave that. Yeah, you know, people want that human connection. They want to hear or see and interact with real people, not just I love AI, ai, I love technology, but there is nothing that replaces that human human connection, right, so that's awesome. Speaking of connections, how did you discover intersect? How did you get here? How was that process for you?
Sheila Jenkinson:well, intersect's been amazing because you came on board right away. Uh so, when recording locally, this is the go to spot still, and it's two and a half years later, and a lot of guests later and ton of episodes. I think I'm at 110 episodes. I'm not real sure on that, but it's right around that. It might be a little more. And this space, you know we you and I've had an agreement, trade deal and I've been ever so thankful because yes, and early on.
Sheila Jenkinson:You know the budget was zero so it was good to have that connection. But this is such a focal point in norfolk. It's a great connection. It takes them right downtown where they can explore here and they can go to visit Norfolk area, nebraska. They can find out more about the area real easily. It's a great place to host guests. Yes, and so I found you because I think I spoke about a at home. You and I spoke here.
Emma Bennett:Yeah, it was like a, we did like a.
Sheila Jenkinson:Like a clinic or something.
Emma Bennett:Like a work from home, remote work, all the all the jargony, but really important things. I trust me, I love remote work. I will never work in a regular office again. I worked remote for six years and now this job is also very flexible, so I feel that to my core. But it is a. What I like to think back about is just that partnership because we get you bring guests in and that's the best part like, yeah, why would I say no to people coming in the door? We love that and you get advertising?
Sheila Jenkinson:we do, because that's part of the trade deal. And so as the listenership has grown, as that audience has grown, you've grown along with it and uh, yeah, yeah, there's things to say yes to. Early on, uh, you taking a chance was a little bit of a leap, but now look it's definitely a great, great jump.
Emma Bennett:But it's something we also really focus on and as as a initiative, as a project in our in our core. But for me personally, too, is like, especially as you're working with founders and start people who are starting a business, they don't have cashflow. So the fact that I work for a nonprofit and I get to help people who don't maybe have the same resources is so important. You know it's, it's getting those people in the door and it's so fun. Now we have, we have a great crowd here, or let alone just the people who use the space for the office capabilities, but our 1 million cups and the conversations with the community around it are just. It's really exciting to see.
Sheila Jenkinson:Yeah, for sure.
Emma Bennett:We talk a little bit about just a little bit about 1MC, and earlier today you were talking about going to Grand Island. What's it? Like you know, expanding the ecosystem and being plugged into some of those connection points that maybe wouldn't have happened without stopping in one day and seeing the space.
Sheila Jenkinson:I can't imagine loving what I do any more than what I do. I wake up every day excited, and every Monday people are like oh, I hate Mondays, oh, I love Mondays because I have that whole week ahead of me and I don't know.
Sheila Jenkinson:I mean, I do know because everything's scheduled out, but sometimes in Grand Island I was in Shickley, nebraska, the other day, and Hebron I was in Pender, and I get to go all across the state hearing these great stories, sharing the stories, and it's the people that I interview that are telling those stories. But it's it's really fun and, like you said, you like to hear about the boutiques or the things that I shout out. That's another element of it. So, you know, two times a month I'm doing Sheila shout outs. Maybe I went to a park, somewhere that I loved, or a library, or I did some frisbee golf somewhere. Whatever, thrift shops, coffee shops always, always on the coffee shops and bookstores but yeah, that's a whole episode.
Sheila Jenkinson:Yeah, I should actually I was thinking I should like take all my little segments and put them into one like coffee directory. Anyway, that's a project for another day.
Sheila Jenkinson:But you know all of those things. And then there's the ones that are the tourism ones. Like, I'm going to Grand Island for a whole week and part of that's through a tourism package, part of it's through Midwest Travel Network. Of that's through a tourism package, part of it's through midwest travel network and that's a connection I made through the podcast. That's invaluable, things like that once a month I do. Growing small or wait, what is it growing? Nebraska and beyond yeah, there you go. So I just came back from ship shawana, indiana, where I got to explore there. What a name.
Emma Bennett:But yeah, yes, do you wanna?
Sheila Jenkinson:shawana, that's what they say. So it's those connections. But it's all adds value. But working with the tourism entities is great. Working with the small business owners, those are free to them. Those shout outs. That's fantastic. Every element adds something new and exciting and I get to meet so many great people. I think that's my favorite part.
Emma Bennett:I love that I think about when we first started at the space, we did radio ads and I At first I was like my audience isn't listening to the radio, I don't listen to the radio, I listen to Spotify or other, you know, just like I'm not listening to live radio.
Emma Bennett:And then I had kind of just an aha moment of I might not listen to the radio but in my network or my audience might not, but maybe it's their parents or influencers in their life who are listening to it and it's come to fruition. We've had people who come in, they're visiting from back home, from on a holiday or something, and they're like, yeah, my mom told me about this, she heard it on the radio, and I'm like, well, that money just paid for itself because you're here for a week. You know it's crazy when you think about talking to the small businesses or doing those shout outs where it's something. Maybe it's just you, parallel to your network or or who you're reaching out to, but there's so much value in that well, and the awesome thing about, since I've done both radio and podcasting.
Sheila Jenkinson:The awesome thing about the podcasts are it's it's always there same with the ads that are on it, so you know, you go back and what? Happens is people will tune into one. Let's say they're like oh, emma with, I want to listen to this. So they listen to episode. Most of the time they're going back and they listen to all the episodes, just like you would do with your favorite podcasts 100.
Emma Bennett:Yeah, once I figured out, I could just tell spotify which way to go, because it would yeah it's like I want to go up the list. I don't want to go down the list yeah, but I do 100 the same when I start a new one. I'm binging.
Sheila Jenkinson:If a person likes it, they like it. They're going to listen to the whole thing, absolutely.
Emma Bennett:I think you know we talk about, like, the community and the energy around it. Can you talk to me a little bit about the energy of being around builders, you know, in the space and here and some of like how that's shown up in the podcast work, and then just as you communicate with people in the space too, About here at Intersect yeah.
Sheila Jenkinson:Yeah, well, it's been a great connection. You know, 1mc One Million Cups has been a community for me. I don't get there as often as I did, clearly, but when I can, I'm here and those connections are all kind of it's interesting how it intertwines. So, um, I was just a keynote speaker at a conference in alliance and we had three, four, yeah, three intersect one, and then libby from the elkwood valley museum, I mean northeast nebraska was there and a lot of those connections are right here. And, yeah, I, I love the community here, I like working here.
Sheila Jenkinson:You let me come and work in here, off whenever I want to, basically, and hunter, and I are both these people, because I work for a while and then I'm wandering out so I can talk to somebody, and so is hunter, so it works out and we're all come, we'll talk to you, and that's I really like that. Or if I need to get something done, like seriously done, because when I'm not on the road I have all this production work to do, or these emails after email, after email, after email, and if I really need to get things done, or if I'm going to build up a speech for an event, I come here. Yeah, you know, because I'm more focused, I'm not walking by my dishwasher thinking, oh, I should unload that.
Emma Bennett:Oh.
Sheila Jenkinson:I should do a load of laundry or the phone's ringing off the hook. This is where I come for that.
Emma Bennett:Oh for sure, Like when I'm, when I'm open to doing laundry instead of my to-do list at work. That's when we have problems, right? But it's true, we talked about this that we have, you know, the water cooler. Cooler that remote work and digital technology all of those things are amazing. It's expanding the resources and and what people can do from wherever, but there's still nothing that replaces that water cooler chat, yeah, right, and bouncing ideas off each other, and, and it really does help, and then it's for me, it's the accountability. I got to put my headphones in and I get some work done.
Sheila Jenkinson:You got to look like you're working.
Emma Bennett:You do. It's like when I go to work out.
Sheila Jenkinson:It's much better if I go to the workout facility.
Emma Bennett:Otherwise I'm like oh.
Sheila Jenkinson:I'm just going to do part of them.
Emma Bennett:Exactly and it is. It's just that you know your headphones in and get to work and get things done.
Sheila Jenkinson:You can, and I will say that if people are thinking about coming to Intersect or another co-working space like this, people do know when to give you your space. They do know when to leave you alone. They understand you are here to get work done, so you do have both.
Emma Bennett:I think it's something even from you know rural to more urban cities of how have you worked in like a co-working space in Lincoln or Omaha or anything?
Sheila Jenkinson:No.
Emma Bennett:So it's different. So nobody, that's not true. Oftentimes you don't have as much conversation, or if it is, it's much more like direct People are. It's not just as open freely. So I think that's something really lucky we have here of like people will talk but they're also very respectful um, they're not just gonna come over, yeah chat with you, because that wouldn't work either right. It's mostly like you're looking around and you're like I'm gonna go get a water that's what I do.
Sheila Jenkinson:If I hear somebody wandering around out there. I'm like, oh, I'm gonna go get some water and see if I can talk to somebody.
Emma Bennett:Exactly. I love it. I want to talk, then, a little bit more about some of the stories you've told. What have you learned from some of those folks? Is there anything that really sticks out to you? Is there a theme you've?
