Description

In this episode of The Open House Podcast, Ben Robitaille and Richard Thompson sit down with Jess Graham (aka Jessica Graham), a Tiny Township local wearing a few hats: artist, writer, community-builder, and current President of the North Simcoe Rotaract Club.

What starts as “Ben learns who the guest is in real time” turns into a surprisingly thoughtful conversation about:

• Rotaract (think: Rotary’s younger, fundraiser-and-community-energy cousin)
• Growing up in Tiny and the pull of nature, solitude, and slower living
• Making the leap from a family automotive business into full-time creative work
• The messy middle of entrepreneurship: structure vs freedom, income uncertainty, and trusting the long game
• Jess’ children’s books (The Old Lady in the Shed and Jem’s Unicorn, available at Indigo)
• Why her “poetic prints” hit people right in the feelings (including one hanging in Richard’s office)
• A detour into psychology, Gabor Maté, and how understanding people changes how you move through the world
• The vulnerability of markets, self-promotion, and being both the CEO and the creator of your own art business

Plus: barefoot nature therapy gets debated, a haunted violin movie is discussed, and Ben confirms that toddlers believe every older person is named “Mimi.”

Find Jess here:
Website: artistjessgraham.ca
Instagram: @artistjessgraham

Follow / subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming episodes with more local voices you can actually run into downtown (and yes, please rate the show—future Ben and Richard will thank you).