We had the good fortune of connecting with Mary Allard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mary, how does your business help the community?
The Third Place podcast began just after the pandemic hit… At first, it was all about creating a digital third place. Traditionally, a Third Place is somewhere that is not your work or your home, but a “third place” to convene and connect. During the pandemic of course, physical third places became inaccessible and this created a void in our ability to connect deeply and without distraction. Survival mode was full bore and thankfully platforms like Zoom and FaceTime came to the rescue. While these platforms gave us the opportunity to stay connected mostly on a surface level, it stopped there. Division among us got greater and the loneliness epidemic grew ten-fold. 

With all of this in mind, we started The Third Place podcast. We are on a mission to provide a third place to you, wherever you are: holding space that is safe and inviting, and one that inspires a third place within ourselves and others. We call this the messy middle, the grey space… A place that moves away from a dualistic perspective and into approaches that live on a spectrum. In this place, curiosity and empathy are encouraged, and out these things we find empathy, compassion, and connection. The Third Place Podcast hosts weekly conversations that are uncomfortable and often times awkward. Our listeners refer to our episodes as “comfortably, uncomfortable.” When we allow ourselves to “go there” with a posture of curiosity and humility, we find that we can form deeper connections with ourselves and with others. This is the intention behind the podcast, as we work to restore the art of dialogue, one awkward conversation at a time.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Time and time again, we are encouraged to keep doing this work because nearly every time a guest finishes an interview with us they tell us that it was the first time they felt safe and comfortable enough to share more of their story than ever before. While this last year has been anything but easy, having this podcast has felt like being in flow for the first time ever. There is just something about when you find your voice and your “soul” work. The effort feels effortless and the work doesn’t feel quite like work. Being able to apply all the skills I have gained from growing emerging brands in my career to starting a podcast has paid off and we often meet other established podcasts that think we have been doing it for years. That feedback reminds us that we are on track, and in the flow. Also, many may not realize just how much work it is to do a podcast consistently and intentionally. We put our hearts and souls into every episode. We get weekly emails from listeners that share their personal connection to the episodes and this engagement is all we could ask for. Finally, we do all of our own editing and production, because we want the listening experiences to be just as safe as the interview. If it doesn’t sound good, the conversation becomes distracting and people won’t listen. We are proud of the auditory experience we have been able to provide our listeners. Simply put, we wouldn’t know how to stop if we had to. Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Being born and raised in Colorado, there is no shortage of adventure to be had… I hook up nearly every guest from out of town with an “altitude acclimation” gift so that they don’t get sick. It’s so important to hydrate and being that I worked in the beverage world for most of my career, I look to some of my local favorites like Doctor D’s probiotic drinks, The Tea Spot or Sky & Wyatt teas, and Novo Coffee. The first day would be chill, and we’d definitely go out to eat at 24 Carrot in Erie. The rest of the days would be filled with hiking or mountain biking, particularly in Lyons or Golden, hot springs adventures at Mount Princeton or Penny Hot Springs, and tons of food. Root Down in Denver is bar none and Walnut Cafe in Boulder is a MUST. Towns like Crested Butte, Salida and Carbondale are unparalleled, cute, quaint, and epic terrain. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Without question, I wouldn’t be doing the work of The Third Place podcast if it weren’t for my co-host, David Gaines. Last year, when my dad passed unexpectedly and I lost contracted work at the beginning of the pandemic, he not only gave me the push to start this podcast with him, but his artisan coffee company La Terza is an extension of this work, too. La Terza embodies this work by equipping coffee shops owners to create third places in their communities. Our friendship came out of our work in the beverage industry, and beverage is one of the greatest catalysts of connection. Our work together is equally as rewarding to us as we hope it is to others.

Website: thirdplacepodcast.com

Instagram: @thirdplacepodcast

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-third-place-podcast/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thirdplacepodcast

Image Credits
Hope Kleist of Sumac and Sage (@sumacandsage, @hopekleist)

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.