I first crossed paths with innovative Morehead City Primary School media coordinator Amanda McCall at Bogue Banks Library earlier this year.

I first crossed paths with innovative Morehead City Primary School media coordinator Amanda McCall at Bogue Banks Library earlier this year. Our mutual friend Emily Carter was reading several of her essays at the annual Friends of the Library Meeting. Afterwards, while all of us in the audience were feeling heart-warmed and full of goodwill, Emily pulled Amanda up to the podium to talk about her vision for the Title Wave, a bookmobile that would serve learners across Carteret County during the long summer months.

At the time, EPIC Carteret was a vague notion, but Amanda cinched it with her persuasive enthusiasm. She exuded the exact essence of community spirit I wanted to explore and understand. In that moment, the contours of my own vision snapped into sharper focus. I introduced myself afterwards and asked her if she’d be on my podcast. Without hesitation, she agreed.

For my second ever podcast episode, Amanda sat down with me at Mezcalito Grill in Beaufort, chosen by my guest for its vibrant decor and a menu that tantalizes with modern twists. Between mouthfuls of steak con queso, we retraced Amanda’s journey — from the Title Wave’s origin to the rallying of her community and the profound ripples the project created along its route.

Even though Amanda was a dream to work with, this wasn’t an easy episode to make. I goofed while recording the interview (more on that in the episode), and during sound engineering, Jack had a crash course in super tedious audio polishing to compensate for the festive atmosphere of the grill. But we overcame the challenges to produce a story about how Carteret County’s residents, organizations, and businesses came together to knit a safety net for young learners, and that’s completely appropriate for the theme.

If you’ve just tuned in to EPIC Carteret or you’re about to, I encourage you to start with Episode 1 “The Secret to a Thriving Business Community with Tom Kies.” I’ve found lots of intriguing intersections between Tom’s perspective on leaving things better than you found them and Amanda’s zeal for creating a thriving ecosystem for learners. I’m interested in connections I may have missed, so comment or email me once you’ve had a listen.