Max Pruna⁠ had never tasted specialty coffee.

But one day at Northeastern University in the mid 2010s, craft coffee pioneer ⁠George Howell⁠ poured Max the cup of coffee that would change his life.

Inspired by this one sip, Max then dedicated his life to learning everything about craft coffee, eventually leading him to open La Mulita Coffee in Rye, N.H., now one of the most beloved shops on the Seacoast.

In a replay of one of the most popular "Seacoast Stories" episodes of 2025, Colombia native Max Pruna joins ⁠⁠⁠host Troy Farkas⁠⁠⁠ to discuss growing up in Colombia when drug lord Pablo Escobar was terrorizing the streets, the immigration process that brought him and his wife to the U.S. in the early 2000s, when he first discovered specialty coffee, why he opened La Mulita in 2019, the Portsmouth politics that nearly prevented him from opening the shop at all, the creative ways La Mulita survived the pandemic, and so much more.

CHAPTERS:

• Growing up in dangerous Colombia (00:00)
• Max's emigration to New Hampshire (06:45)
• Max's career prior to La Mulita (15:48)
• SPONSORS: Sage Portsmouth & We Can Help! (19:42)
• Learning about specialty coffee from George Howell (22:18))
• The fight to open La Mulita in 2019 (36:30)
• Surviving the pandemic (45:24)
• What makes La Mulita a special Seacoast spot (49:25)

To support Max, you can visit him at ⁠La Mulita⁠ Monday-Saturday from 7:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. To purchase perfectly roasted coffee beans, check out ⁠LaMulitaCoffee.com⁠.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Seacoast Stories Dinner Club is taking over Newburyport, MA, on Wednesday, January 7 at 6:30 p.m.! ⁠⁠⁠Book your seat here⁠⁠⁠ to make new friends.

SPONSORS:

• ⁠⁠Sage Portsmouth⁠⁠: Portsmouth's newest luxury condominiums are here ... and they're a steal! From now through 12/31, 20+ select units are available with BIG discounts. Prices start at $429,900. ⁠⁠Inquire here.⁠
• We Can Help!: Need a deep clean of your home? We got you! You can book one of our favorite Seacoast services here. You won't regret it.

Does the future of media lay in the past?

Eric Jackman thinks so.

He's an Executive Producer at Uncrowned (a media organization that partners with Yahoo! Sports), a co-host of my favorite podcast, "The Ariel Helwani Show," a former social media manager at ESPN and Vox Media, and he's also a past colleague of mine.

And for the last five years, he's joined a podcast with me at the end of the year to discuss the media trends that unfolded throughout the year, as well as to forecast what's to come.

In the first (and only) Zoom interview of the year, Eric (known online as NewYorkRic) joins me to discuss why creators are going all in on IRL events, Netflix's takeover of the entertainment industry, the rise of video podcasting, the flaws in the "Seacoast Stories" social media strategy, deploying targeted ads, winning strategies for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, & LinkedIn, and much more.

CHAPTERS:

• The demand for IRL events (00:00)
• Why social media is destined to return to its original state (06:50)
• The rise of video podcasting & Netflix's takeover (09:56)
• Social media advice for 2026 (16:45)
• SPONSORS: Sage Portsmouth & investment advisor David Higgins (22:25)
• How to make more shareable content (25:20)
• The Seacoast Stories social strategy (35:25)
• The death of the follower (44:32)
• Substack & LinkedIn (48:14)

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Seacoast Stories Dinner Club is taking over Newburyport, MA, on Wednesday, January 7 at 6:30 p.m.! ⁠⁠Book your seat here⁠⁠ to make new friends.

SPONSORS:

• ⁠Sage Portsmouth⁠: Portsmouth's newest luxury condominiums are here ... and they're a steal! From now through 12/31, 20+ select units are available with BIG discounts. Prices start at $429,900. ⁠Inquire here.⁠
• To get started on a path toward better financial investment, email our friend David Higgins ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠david.higgins@wellsfargoadvisors.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! He's a Portsmouth legend, and you won't regret it.

• Investment and insurance products are Not Insured by the FDIC or Any Federal Government Agency, Not a Deposit or Other Obligation of, or Guaranteed by, the Bank or Any Bank Affiliate, Subject to Investment Risks, Including Possible Loss of the Principal Amount Invested.

  Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Clearing Services (WFCS), LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. WFCS uses the trade name Wells Fargo Advisors. 1 North Jefferson, St. Louis, MO 63103.

  • 
    

Holly Ransom didn't want to feel this way anymore.

The tiredness. The body aches. The shame.

So she quit.

Now two years sober, Holly is a spiritual wrecking ball fiercely determined to heal herself, and to use her own learnings to heal others along the way.

A yoga teacher (3 Bridges Yoga, Seacoast Power Yoga, Four Bodies Wellness, Cinder & Sound), sound healer, holistic coach, and "Cycles and Shadows" podcast host, the 28-year-old is one of the oldest souls, deepest feelers, and most philosophical thinkers you'll come across on the Seacoast.

In this Season 3 bonus episode recorded in the West End of Portsmouth, Holly joins host Troy Farkas to discuss her emotional yoga teacher training in Costa Rica, working at The Wilder, ecstatic dance, what astrology tells us about how we show up in relationships, why our consciousness has been "industrialized," and much more.

CHAPTERS:

• Becoming a yoga teacher in Costa Rica (00:00)
• The difficult decision to get sober (06:00)
• Repairing the connection to yourself (19:35)
• SPONSORS: 3 Bridges Yoga + Sage Portsmouth (26:00)
• The benefits of dance for well-being (29:15)
• The challenges of running a healing business (35:40)
• Attachment styles (40:18)
• Why our consciousness has been "industrialized" (48:32)
• Final Question (56:57)

SPONSORS:

• ⁠3 Bridges Yoga⁠: NEW STUDENTS can use code "SSNEWBIE" to pay just $39 for 30 days! RETURNING STUDENTS can use code "SS5FOR50" to get a 5-class pack for just $50! ⁠Sign up here.⁠ Offer expires Jan. 5, 2026.
• Sage Portsmouth: Portsmouth's newest luxury condominiums are here ... and they're a steal! From now through 12/31, 20+ select units are available with BIG discounts. Prices start at $429,900. Inquire here.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Seacoast Stories Dinner Club is taking over Newburyport, MA, on Wednesday, January 7 at 6:30 p.m.! Book your seat here to make new friends.