Small Lake City

Hosted by Erik Nilsson

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Episodes

239

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Small Talk, Big City Join host Erik Nilsson as he interviews the entrepreneurs, creators, and builders making Salt Lake City the best place it can be. Covering topics such as business, politics, art, food, and more you will get to know the amazing people behind the scenes investing their time and money to improve the place we call home. Follow along for more!

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60 recent

October 14, 2026Episode 331 hr 12 min

S2, E33: How Lucky Ones Coffee Is Changing Lives in Utah

What if your morning coffee could change someone's life? ☕❤️ This week on the Small Lake City Podcast, I'm joined by Katie, co-founder of Lucky Ones Coffee, a Utah coffee shop that's doing a lot more than serving great coffee. Founded in 2018 by Katie and her co-founder Taylor, Lucky Ones Coffee was built around a simple but powerful mission: creating meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities while building a community where everyone feels welcome. What started as an idea while working together at the National Ability Center in Park City turned into a business that's making a real difference in people's lives. In this episode, we talk about: ☕ How Lucky Ones Coffee got started with $20,000 in crowdfunding ❤️ Why meaningful employment and inclusion matter 🏔️ Their journey from the National Ability Center to opening a coffee shop in Park City 💼 The challenges of building a business without previous coffee industry experience 🤝 How Lucky Ones creates community and connection through its employees and customers 🚀 Their plans to expand and create even more opportunities across Utah Whether you're passionate about entrepreneurship, supporting local Utah businesses, or making your community a better place, this is a story worth hearing. Learn more about Lucky Ones Coffee: https://luckyonescoffee.com ☁️ GET 50% OFF MINKY COUTURE! Looking for the softest blankets around? Check out Minky Couture's incredibly comfortable blankets, including their Hug Blankets. They even make cozy dog beds! Get 50% off full-priced blankets using my link below or code SMALLLAKECITY at checkout. 👉 https://softminkyblankets.com/SMALLLAKECITY 🎙️ FOLLOW SMALL LAKE CITY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smalllakepod Website: https://www.smalllakepod.com Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! Just search "Small Lake City Podcast." ABOUT SMALL LAKE CITY Small Lake City is a podcast sharing the stories of the people, businesses, and ideas shaping Salt Lake City and Utah. Through conversations with local entrepreneurs, creators, and community leaders, we're helping Salt Lake City feel a little smaller. Subscribe for new episodes every week! 50% Off Minky Couture Blankets: softminkyblankets.com/SMALLLAKECITY Get your tickets to Strada Saturdays on Oct. 10th here Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the show Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://substack.com/@smalllakepod Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod

October 12, 20269 min

456 Nuclear Reactors in Utah, Great Salt Lake on the Edge & Midterms in 4 Weeks

456 nuclear reactors on federal land near Price, Utah, built to power AI data centers. That’s the core of Project Beehive, and it’s why Carbon County is suddenly the center of one of the wildest energy fights in the state. I walk through what Valor Atomics is proposing, what “small modular reactors” actually means in practice, and why a packed planning commission meeting is surfacing deeper questions about transparency, NDAs, and who gets heard when a project is this big. Then we shift to the Great Salt Lake, which is sitting at 29.7% full and hovering near what scientists call “collapse range.” I share the latest lake level numbers, what the drought outlook says heading into fall, and a rare piece of good news: 3.26 billion gallons of water being released from Willard Bay toward the lake and surrounding wetlands. The timing lands during peak bird migration, when the Pacific Flyway depends on those wetlands, and it’s a clear example of how targeted water decisions can still matter even when the overall problem feels overwhelming. We also hit Utah politics and everyday policy: a court-ordered redistricting that creates a Salt Lake centered congressional district that now favors Democrats, plus the key dates you need to vote (ballots mail October 13, registration deadline October 23, Election Day November 3). To close, I cover a new Salt Lake City tenant protections ordinance, a quick Utes update, Cat Tober in South Salt Lake, and a preview of next week’s guest, Katie Manhart of Lucky One’s Coffee. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Support the show Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://substack.com/@smalllakepod Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod

October 6, 2026Episode 3135 min

S2, E32: Mistborn, Building Dragonsteel & Becoming Fantasy’s Biggest Author with Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson joins the Small Lake City Podcast to talk about Mistborn, Dragonsteel, his journey to becoming one of the biggest fantasy authors in the world, and the unconventional business he’s built around his books and fans. Brandon shares how he went from writing books in a friend’s basement to building a global fanbase, why a dispute between Amazon and his publisher helped change the way he thought about his career, and how that eventually led to building Dragonsteel and going directly to his fans. We also get into the future of Mistborn. After roughly 20 years of trying to get Mistborn adapted, Brandon explains why he decided to learn screenwriting himself, what he’s learned through the process, and where things stand today. Plus, Brandon talks about: • How he first fell in love with fantasy • Going from biochemistry at BYU to becoming an author • The mentors who helped him understand publishing • Finishing Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time • Why he built Dragonsteel • Amazon’s influence on the publishing industry • Going directly to fans and creating premium books • Learning to write screenplays • His Mistborn screenplay • Why he lives in Utah • How Southern Utah inspired The Stormlight Archive • Meeting fans like Victor Wembanyama and Henry Cavill • Where new readers should start with Brandon Sanderson • What he’s excited to write next If you’re new to Brandon Sanderson, he recommends Mistborn for readers looking for action and adventure, or Tress of the Emerald Sea for something more whimsical and cozy. Small Lake City is a podcast about the people, stories, businesses and ideas shaping Salt Lake City and Utah. Subscribe for weekly conversations with the people making Utah a more interesting place. 🎙️ Small Lake City Podcast 📍 Salt Lake City, Utah #BrandonSanderson #Mistborn #Cosmere #FantasyBooks #StormlightArchive 50% Off Minky Couture Blankets: softminkyblankets.com/SMALLLAKECITY Get your tickets to Strada Saturdays on Oct. 10th here Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the show Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://substack.com/@smalllakepod Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod

September 29, 2026Episode 311 hr 4 min

S2, E31: How Altra Went From a Toaster Oven to a Global Running Brand With Founder Brian Beckstead

How did Altra go from experimenting with running shoes in Utah to becoming a global running brand? Brian Beckstead, co-founder of Altra, joins me on Small Lake City to tell the story behind one of Utah’s most recognizable companies. Brian shares how his own experiences with running and injuries led him to question traditional running shoe design, the early experiments that helped inspire Altra’s zero-drop approach, and what it was actually like trying to build a shoe company from scratch. From modifying shoes with a toaster oven to driving across the country in a green Subaru trying to convince running stores to carry Altra, we get into the scrappy early days of the company and how it eventually grew into the brand runners know today. We also talk about the rise of zero-drop running shoes, the challenges that came with scaling Altra, the company’s eventual acquisition, Brian’s decision to stay in Utah, and where he sees Altra and the running industry going next. 🎁 WIN A PAIR OF ALTRA SHOES To celebrate the episode, I’m giving away a pair of Altra shoes to one listener! To enter, subscribe to Small Lake City and leave a comment on the YouTube version of this episode — tell me your favorite part of the conversation, your favorite Altra shoe, your favorite place to run, or whatever you want. Winner will be announced October 6, 2026. Good luck! If you’re interested in Altra, running, trail running, entrepreneurship, Utah startups, or just a great story about building something from the ground up, this one’s for you. Follow @smalllakepod for more and subscribe wherever you listen to Small Lake City. 50% Off Minky Couture Blankets: softminkyblankets.com/SMALLLAKECITY Get your tickets to Strada Saturdays on Oct. 10th here Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the show Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://substack.com/@smalllakepod Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod

September 28, 202611 min

Utah's Care System is Failing — Deaths, Abuse & No Accountability + Pro Football is Coming to SLC

Salt Lake City's weekly news update is here — and this week hit different. The Disability Law Center just dropped a damning report called "Profits Over People" — detailing how three Utahns with disabilities died in the care of a state-licensed company operating facilities with no heat, no running water, and staff admitting to locking residents in a basement at night. The state shut the company down — but only after three people died. We break down what the DLC is calling for, why the Legislature needs to act in 2027, and what this means for the most vulnerable people in Utah. On the exciting side — the United Football League officially announced Utah as its 10th expansion franchise, with games starting Spring 2028 at America First Field in South Jordan. Salt Lake City is quietly becoming one of the most complete pro sports markets in the Intermountain West. We break down what this means and whether you should be excited. Also this week: Governor Cox signed an executive order creating the Recovery Utah Initiative — a $40 million coordinated push to cut drug deaths by 25% and build 150,000 housing units by 2029. The Utes shut out Utah State 33-0 and are now 3-0 and ranked No. 15 nationally. A bear wandered into the Avenues neighborhood and got tranquilized on a resident's porch. And Steenblik Park on the west side just reopened after its first full renovation under the Parks GO Bond. Plus — Strada Saturday is October 10th. Tickets in the description. Come out and be part of it. 🎙️ Small Lake City Podcast — your weekly guide to everything happening in Salt Lake City and Utah. 📲 Follow us: @smalllakepod on Instagram & TikTok 💬 Drop a comment — what do you think about the care facility report? Or the UFL announcement? 🔔 If you haven't subscribed yet — do it now. It takes two seconds and it genuinely helps the show grow. 🎟️ Strada Saturday — October 10th — tickets below 50% Off Minky Couture Blankets: softminkyblankets.com/SMALLLAKECITY Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the show Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://substack.com/@smalllakepod Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod

September 22, 2026Episode 301 hr 4 min

S2, E30: Amanda Warren on Bookish, Building Community & the Salt Lake Book Festival

What if reading could be one of the best ways to meet people and build community in Salt Lake City? In this episode of the Small Lake City Podcast, I sit down with Amanda Warren of Bookish SLC to talk about how a love of books grew into a community bringing hundreds of people together around reading, connection, and shared experiences. Amanda shares how living in New York helped inspire the idea behind Bookish, why Salt Lake City was ready for more niche community experiences, and how Bookish has grown beyond simply getting together to read. We talk about making friends as an adult, the rise of run clubs and other interest-based communities, creating spaces where people can show up alone, and why books can make connecting with strangers a whole lot easier. We also get into the current conversation around literacy and attention spans, audiobooks, reading habits, protecting your time and energy, and why Amanda believes getting more people excited about books matters. Plus, Amanda gives us a look at the Salt Lake Book Festival, including its partnership with Utah Humanities and the Utah Festival of Books, 28 visiting authors, multiple stages, kids programming, vendors, a custom festival beer with Fisher Brewing, and the goal of creating a book festival that even non-readers can enjoy. If you’re interested in books, reading, making friends in Salt Lake City, local events, community building, or the people shaping the culture of SLC, this episode is for you. Follow Small Lake City for more conversations with the people making Salt Lake City and Utah a better, more connected place. 🎙️ Small Lake City Podcast 📍 Salt Lake City, Utah Topics include: Bookish SLC, Salt Lake Book Festival, Utah Festival of Books, Utah Humanities, reading communities, book clubs, literacy, audiobooks, making friends as an adult, Salt Lake City events, community building, and Utah culture. Support the show Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://substack.com/@smalllakepod Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod

September 18, 202611 min

Trump's DOJ Targets Utah's Own Lt. Governor, SLC is Getting an MLB Team & Schools Are Closing

A sitting Utah lieutenant governor says no to handing over private voter data, and the Trump administration’s DOJ responds with a formal investigation. I break down what the federal government is asking for, why Deidre Henderson argues it violates Utah law and privacy protections, and why this turns into a bigger states’ rights fight than a typical election administration story. The most telling detail: leaders from both parties in Utah publicly land on the same side, not because they agree on everything, but because the principle at stake is clear. From there, the focus shifts to what families are feeling right now across the Wasatch Front and Utah County: declining public school enrollment and the real-world consequences. I walk through which districts are considering school closures, what the data says about K–6 declines, and how low birth rates, housing costs, aging neighborhoods, and charter school growth change the funding math. If your community is impacted, showing up to public meetings matters, because these decisions move forward with or without local voices. We also get into the momentum behind Salt Lake City’s MLB expansion bid, including why national analysts keep calling Utah a front-runner, what the Power District project signals, and what still has to happen at the league level before expansion becomes official. Finally, I hit the week’s other headlines: the Utes’ blowout win, the Stratos data center fight in court amid rising concern about AI infrastructure, and a blunt warning from rural Utah as Colorado River cuts leave fields going dry. If you like smart, local reporting on Utah politics, elections, growth, sports, and the Colorado River drought, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. 50% Off Minky Couture Blankets: softminkyblankets.com/SMALLLAKECITY Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the show Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://substack.com/@smalllakepod Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod

September 15, 2026Episode 2956 min

S2, E29: How Salt Lake City Lost Its Japantown with Kelyn Ikegami

A single street sign downtown can be a trapdoor into a whole erased world. When we see “Japantown Street” near the Delta Center, it’s easy to assume it’s just a name. It isn’t. Today we sit down with filmmaker Kelyn, creator of the PBS short documentary “Japantown,” to follow the Japanese American history in Utah that built a real neighborhood and then watched it get dismantled by urban renewal, eminent domain, and arena politics. We walk through how Japanese workers first arrived in Utah through railroad and mining labor, and why immigrant communities often cluster together for survival, culture, and shared language. Then the story turns sharply to World War II and Topaz, the internment camp in Delta, Utah. After the war, thousands of Japanese Americans were released with almost nothing, and Salt Lake City’s Japantown became a refuge where people tried to rebuild their lives through businesses, churches, a Buddhist temple, markets, and the ordinary routines that make a place feel safe. What makes this conversation urgent is that the past isn’t staying in the past. Kelyn explains how the push for a new sports and entertainment district around Japantown Street echoes the same promises and anxieties that shaped the 1960s. We talk about what “growth” costs, how memory can function as evidence, and why telling community stories now matters when elders who lived it are disappearing. If you care about Salt Lake City history, Japanese American stories, or the politics of development, this one will change how you see downtown. Subscribe for more Utah stories, share this with a friend who loves local history, and leave a review to help more people find the show. What part of this history do you think Salt Lake City should reckon with first? 50% Off Minky Couture Blankets: softminkyblankets.com/SMALLLAKECITY Get your tickets to Strada Saturdays on Oct. 10th here Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the show Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://substack.com/@smalllakepod Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod

September 10, 202611 min

Bears Ears Protections End And Rent Deals Surge In Salt Lake City

At 6 a.m., Utah’s public lands story changes in a very real way. I’m walking through what it means as the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument cuts officially take effect, putting nearly 3 million acres into a new legal reality where mining claims can be staked and old pressure points come roaring back. We get specific about what areas are impacted, why ancestral cultural sites are central to the stakes, and how the unanswered question around the Antiquities Act is now headed for a court showdown that could reshape monument politics for years. Then we jump to another major federal land use flashpoint: the proposal to allow directional drilling beneath the Ouray National Wildlife Refuge near Vernal. I explain what “no surface disturbance” does and doesn’t mean, why critics call it wildly irresponsible, and where you can show up if you want your voice in the process, including the public meeting date and the comment window. If you’ve felt like the pace of change is accelerating in Utah, you’re not imagining it. We also hit genuinely good news for a lot of listeners: the Salt Lake City apartment market has flipped hard in renters’ favor. I break down the concessions being offered right now, how to think about effective rent versus base rent, what questions to ask before you sign, and why fall through winter can be the best window to move. To close, I run through quick local updates including a 96-unit affordable housing project breaking ground in Ballpark, a commercial fire that sent smoke over the valley with practical air-quality reminders, and a few can’t-miss city events from the Salt Lake Temple open house scramble to the Utah State Fair and FanX. If this helped you make sense of the week, subscribe and follow wherever you listen, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review. What do you want me to cover next, and have you been to Bears Ears? 50% Off Minky Couture Blankets: softminkyblankets.com/SMALLLAKECITY Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the show Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://substack.com/@smalllakepod Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod

September 8, 2026Episode 2812 min

S2, E28: This Salt Lake City Park Used to Be a Prison

If you’ve spent any time in Salt Lake City, you’ve probably been to Sugar House Park. But about 75 years ago, instead of runners, sledders, playgrounds, and soccer fields, you would have found something very different: A prison. For nearly a century, the land that is now Sugar House Park was home to the Utah Territorial Penitentiary and later the Utah State Prison. And its history gets pretty wild. In this episode of Small Lake City , Erik digs into the story of Sugar House Park and the neighborhood around it—from the failed sugar beet experiment that gave Sugar House its name to the construction of Utah’s first territorial prison. Along the way, we get into some of the prison’s most fascinating stories: an incredible number of early prisoner escapes, prominent Mormon leaders like George Q. Cannon being incarcerated during the federal crackdown on plural marriage, and the controversial trial and execution of labor organizer Joe Hill. Then there’s the question of how a prison sitting outside Salt Lake City eventually became surrounded by one of the city’s busiest neighborhoods—and how 575 prisoners were moved to Point of the Mountain in 1951. Even tearing the old prison down became a story of its own. Finally, we look at the decades-long effort to transform the former prison grounds into the roughly 110-acre Sugar House Park we know today, along with the connection between the old prison property, the park, and Highland High School. It’s a story about how dramatically a place can change while traces of its past remain hidden in plain sight. This is the strange history of Sugar House Park. Follow Small Lake City for more stories about the people, places, history, and culture that make Salt Lake City feel a little... smaller. 50% Off Minky Couture Blankets: softminkyblankets.com/SMALLLAKECITY Please be sure to like, review, follow, subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family! See you next time Support the show Join the Small Lake City Discord: https://discord.gg/TYNzMhCxeK Subscribe to the Newsletter! https://substack.com/@smalllakepod Instagram: @smalllakepod Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmallLakeCityPodcast TikTok: @smalllakepod