In the season finale, we talk to the minds behind Midstory — the ones who bubbled back up the brain drain and have dedicated nearly a decade of their life to this city.

Throughout this podcast, we’ve talked about many of the tangible reasons people have left or stayed — opportunity, career, money, social life, culture, family ... the list goes on.

But this episode will explore some of the more intangible reasons. Midstory didn’t come into existence because Toledo’s a promising place to start a nonprofit (it’s not), or even because some of Midstory’s founders grew up here. They didn’t start Midstory from trust funds or with the intention of padding their resumes. Midstory’s here for deeply personal reasons.

Because maybe it’s not all logical. Maybe it’s not the rising job opportunities, the affordable housing market, the growing social scene, the ease of traveling from Toledo, and so on and so forth. Maybe it’s not the parks or the zoo, the museums or the concerts. Those things all help. But, there is still something more — something like a calling.

Welcome to the final episode of Brain Drain, a Midstory podcast that explores the city of Toledo through the eyes of the people who’ve left it behind. In this episode, we call on three people who came back to help build Toledo’s tomorrow.

Visit www.midstory.org/braindrain/ to explore interactive data visuals and listen to bonus content.