Podcasts that Originated in Southwest Missouri

Never Stop Getting Better

John Perry, host of Never Stop Getting Better and head football coach at Nixa High School, is a true leader both on and off the field. His podcast explores themes of personal growth, resilience and the pursuit of excellence, featuring tips, stories and advice from locals on how to keep progressing. “Having a voice through the Never Stop Getting Better podcast is an incredible privilege,” Perry says. “It’s a platform where I can connect with remarkable people and share stories of growth, leadership and perseverance in an attempt to add value to others in our great community.”

Simply Authentic Podcast

Hosts Angie Mullings and Tonya Murfin, real estate brokers/owners in Springfield, aim to empower business leaders both personally and professionally through Simply Authentic Podcast. In each episode, they dive into personal success stories, discuss challenging topics and offer inspiration to help listeners pursue their passions, often with local guests.

A Beautiful Mess Podcast

Hosted by sisters Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman, A Beautiful Mess Podcast explores DIY projects, family life, business ownership and everyday sisterly banter. Each episode is paired with show notes and a transcript on their blog, which the sisters have transformed into a widely popular platform.

Our Non-Toxic Podcast

Hannah McClelland Ruder, host of Our Non-Toxic Podcast, is like a big sister to her listeners. She shares personal experiences, invites guests to educate and share their stories and, overall, brings a joyful, fun spirit to her podcast, which focuses on lifestyle, mental health, entrepreneurship and the overall human experience. Ruder wants to create a relatable, stress-free corner of the internet where her listeners—mainly women in their 20s and 30s—can feel understood. “There’s always something good to be found in every situation, and you’re never alone in what you’re going through,” she says.

Ruder recently hit the 100-episode milestone and the two-year anniversary of Our Non-Toxic Podcast, which prompted her to reflect on how podcasting has impacted her life. “Personally, podcasting has helped me become a lot more open and try not to suffer in silence—there’s strength in showing vulnerability,” she says “Professionally, I’ve had the chance to meet so many cool people, attend cool events and interview women I admire, and push me out of my comfort zone as far as learning different mediums of editing and content creation.”

Ozarks True Crime

Writer Anne Roderique-Jones grew up in Springfield and moved to New York City in 2007 to work in the magazine industry. As a freelance writer and true crime podcast fan, she decided to start her own podcast based on stories near her hometown. The first season of Ozarks True Crime covered the story of the Springfield Three. “It was so compelling and heartbreaking,” Roderique-Jones says. “I thought a podcast might be a good way for a new audience to hear the story of the Springfield Three. A podcast would reach a younger generation and certainly a wider audience.” The second season focused on the Feeney family murders, and the most recent season explored the Sandra Hemme story. Each episode includes in-depth reporting and exclusive interviews. “Lots of fact-checking and going through loads and loads of court documents,” Roderique-Jones says.
When she launched Ozarks True Crime, Roderique-Jones had a goal of 100 downloads. “I think right now we’re at just under 4 million,” she says. “We have listeners from all over the world.”

Love Letters from Lakyn

Lakyn Olmsted conveys a ray of sunshine through her podcast, Love Letters from Lakyn. While she covers a variety of refreshing topics, the focus is generally centered around being a girl in her 20s. “Finding balance between growing up while still doing things that make me feel young,” Olmsted says. She touches on navigating adulthood, books, gaming, pop music and mental health awareness. “Mental health is a huge part of my world,” she says. “I love being able to give my listeners insight into how I navigate those things.”

Olmsted has friends and other 417-landers join her in episodes to discuss their careers and paths, though she mainly records solo episodes where she reflects on life and shared experiences. Her audience is primarily young women navigating the challenges of adulthood. “I kind of imagine my followers and I at a giant sleepover just chatting about life while crafting or sipping tea,” she says.

Shailey & Katie’s Lemonade Stand

A Podcast from Springfield

As the tagline “hot topics and cold brews” suggests, hosts Jared Cantrell, Doug Smith and Dustin Wilson taste test a beer each week while discussing 417-land topics, including politics, business and sports. Check out the Facebook page for past Man vs. Pig eating challenges— we’ll let you see what that’s all about.

Springfood, MO

Two men are determined to try every eatery 417-land offers. Andy Karr and Dan Howell taste test new restaurants, standby Springfield favorites, weird trends, terrible dives and hidden gems and reconvene to tell you all about it. The weekly podcast includes familiar guests from our local food scene, blind taste tests, culinary obituaries and a Foodmales Food Mail segment.

Queen City Creeps

If you’re a true crime fan, check out Queen City Creeps, made by creeps Sarah Abele, Jennifer Brown and Shelby Heger. The three have spent the last year delving into “tales of the paranormal, human wickedness, the curious and the bizarre.” This podcast takes on a freewheeling storytelling form and covers all things spooky.

The Bravery Board

More of a movement than a simple podcast, The Bravery Board consists of monthly gatherings and a weekly podcast hosted by Michelle Houghton, Kate Alsup, Jenn Fortner and Lindsay Donaldson. The four promote mental health, motivation, confidence and personal growth in women through TED-like talks.

The Mixed Six

Caleb Stokes and Spencer Harris take games seriously. They created a board game, Party Fowl, and their producer Ross Payton hosts his own podcast, Role Playing Public Radio (RPPR), on the topic, so you know the trio will have plenty of gaming talk. The catch is the hosts drink a mixed six-pack of beer—so there are tasting notes thrown in—and change topics with each beer.

Pretending to be People

You don’t have to be into role-playing games to be into Pretending to be People. The podcast is “a collaborative storytelling experience” that follows the game systems of Delta Green and Pulp Cthulhu. If that means nothing to you, you can still listen along as Zach, Thomas, Luke and Joe spin a compelling, spooky yarn about mysterious circumstances rattling a small town.