Lisa and Ashley are joined by Lettie Collier, who talks about how she learned English and to read at the same time, and how she's always had a book on her ever since. She talks about how her wild Little House on the Prairie obsession influenced her early fashion decisions. Her first favorite, however, was the classic The Monster at the End of This Book. She also discusses her love of Joan Didion, beautiful covers, and how she chooses books for her local speakeasy-style book club, The Literary Libations Society.

Ashley sits down with Cigi England of Cigi's Boutique and The Exceptional Bean to discuss her entrepreneurial journey and the books that helped shape it; starting with The Baby-Sitters Club. Then they go on to discuss more books like Shopkeeping by Peter Miller, Ina Garten's memoir, and what Cigi calls a must-read for all women over 40, We Might Just Make it After All. 

For the fiftieth episode of Life of Plenty, Lisa and Ashley host two incredible guests, Calvin Crosby of The King's English and Brain Food Books, along with Ann Kjellberg of Book Post.   Together they discuss the books that shaped their lives, ranging from comic books and Beverly Cleary's Ramona series, to Peter Pan, Ginger Pye in their childhoods all the way to Salmon Rushdie, Toni Morrison, and Michael Cunningham's books later on. Ann discusses what led her to writing the Book Post, and Calvin talks about his journey in the bookselling and book awards world.    Then they talk about what reading means to them: Infinite possibilities and life, itself.

On this episode of the Life of Plenty Podcast, Lisa goes solo to provide a breakdown of Putnam County's community read, The Anxious Generation, showing why it's such an important read. If you've been considering joining in with the community in reading and studying the book, this is an insightful guide that breaks down why too much cell phone use is having a negative impact on teens, and what we, as a community, can do about it. 

In this episode of Life of Plenty, Ashley and Lisa talk with educator Ryan Dalton and leader of the community-wide deep dive into The Anxious Generation. Together Plenty has partnered with Ryan and Restoring Childhood Putnam County to study the research on the long term effects of social media and cell phones on today's kids. But they're also questioning what we, as a community, can do to change it. 

In this latest episode of Life of Plenty, Lisa and Ashley discuss the upcoming community read of The Anxious Generation, spurred on by Ryan Dalton of Restoring Childhood in Putnam County. They discuss the adverse effects prolonged cell phone addiction has had on children’s lives since cell phones became increasingly poplular — along with the negative effects it has on our own.  Lisa and Ashley also look at the possibility of coming together as a community to tackle the issue, and how we can spend time away from technology and reconnect with our families and each other. Join us for the episode, and then join us for our community read of a book that could have a really positive impact on the way we live.

On this episode of Life of Plenty, Ashley is in the studio with none other than her husband, Tony Michael. Tony is a therapist and a professor at Tennessee Tech and dives into attachment theory and the benefits of reading with children.They discuss how just ten minutes a day can help form bonds, provide an emotional boost, and increase vocabulary, while providing structure — and why that matters.

On the latest episode of Life of Plenty podcast, Ashley and Lisa dive into the benefits of writing and how writing is an important aspect of book culture. They discuss how we are all writers, and the importance of writing by hand, along with the writing tools available at Plenty.

On this episode of Life of Plenty podcast, Lisa and Ashley talk about Independent Bookstore Day, happening April 26th, this Saturday! 

Life of Plenty host Lisa Uhrik talks with Jodi Pitts on her reading journey, from The Babysitter’s Club, the dictionary, and how reading Charlotte’s Web led her to steal a pig that would become a pet. Jodi also discusses reading multiple books at once, her favorite reads, and what she’d take on a trip to a deserted island.

On this episode of Life of Plenty, Ashley and Lisa sit down with Emily Liner of Friendly City Books. Emily talks about how she decided she wanted to make a difference, and how that took her from working for the government in DC to opening a nonprofit bookstore in Columbus, Mississippi.  They discuss connecting even "non-readers" with books, and how The Monster at the End of this Book may be the perfect book for anyone. Then Emily leans into how books can teach us about things we haven't experienced, and that growing up in the 90s, she read Zlata's Diary — a first person account of a child growing up in war torn Bosnia.  Then the three of them discuss one of Lisa's favorite books, Strengthsfinders 2.0, and how working within your strengths will help you at work and life before going into more books and how Dispatches from Pluto got her thinking about going home.

On this episode of the Life of Plenty podcast, Ashley and Lisa sit down with therapist, author, reader, and tea enthusiast Marissa Fike. They discuss how books teach us to be listeners, and how books can be used in therapy.   Marissa talks about her own podcast, Herbal or Verbal, which combines her love of books and tea, and how books can help us recognize issues in our lives.

Clarissa Murphy joins Lisa Uhrik on this episode of Life of Plenty to discuss the books that made her and how she chose a career in books.  She discusses the impact books had on her at a young age, especially Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce and The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.  Then Lisa and Clarissa get into a discussion about non-readers — and whether or not they actually exist.

On this episode of Life of Plenty, Lisa sits down with Jason Rice of Ingram, who helps bookstores set their initial inventory. They discuss books he believes should be in every store, and then some of his favorite reads. From On Beauty by Zadie Smith, to a book he credits himself with making popular — Tom Rachman's The Imperfectionists, to one of the hardest books he's ever read and can't unread, The Road by Cormac McCarthy. 

Lisa and Ashley sit down with Riley Forssell of Delicately Dressed on this episode of Life of Plenty to discuss how she got into her pressed flower business — by not wanting to work a typical "teenage" job. They discuss her entrepreneurial spirit and how her business got its name, from the book of Luke.  She then talks about how her family are readers, sometimes reading together. And then she talks about how she and her sisters line up with the March sisters, which makes Little Women one of her favorite books. Then she and Ashley discover they share another favorite author.

Lisa Uhrik and Ashley Michael talk about books that make great gifts, because books make the best gifts. They discuss how to choose books based on what people love and enjoy, or by sharing part of ourselves. 

On this episode of Life of Plenty, Ashley and Lisa are joined by Ali Olsen. Ali started off as a Plenty volunteer and board member, but now works part-time at the store just because she loves it so much. She talks about how her mother got into reading with The Velveteen Rabbit and encyclopedias. She read what she found in the house and then moved onto popular novels, before getting into historical romance. And then she talks about the books she's really connected with, both on her own and with her kids. 

In this episode of the Life of Plenty Podcast, Lisa and Ashley discuss meaningful books with Heather Babcock, formerly of Whirlwind Book Bar in Oklahoma. When Whirlwind closed, inventory and chairs from the store made their way to Plenty, so the store has lived on here in Cookeville. Heather shared some of the books that have impacted her, starting Nikki Erlick’s The Measure, a novel that asks if it was possible, would you want to know exactly how long you had to live? That question of time became more personal after she received a stage four cancer diagnosis. Other books discussed include The Harry Potter series, The Little Prince, The Little Liar, A Man Called Ove, and Radical Acts of Love, all of which have held meaning to Heather during different aspects of her life.

Lisa and Ashley sit down and chat with Tracey Hackett, the Book Pharmacist. Tracey talks about learning to read despite being diagnosed with dyslexia, and how she grew fond of books at an early age.   Then she discusses how during the pandemic, she obtained a certificate in bibliotherapy, the art of matching someone with a book prescribed to their situation, thus becoming the Book Pharmacist. Together they discuss finding hope and healing in books, and how it's not always self-help books that we need to read to learn something about ourselves.

This Life of Plenty episode features a special guest, Ashley's daughter, Wren! A voracious reader, Wren talks about books she remembers from earlier in her childhood, all the way back to board books and Dr. Seuss, to what she's reading now. (The Keeper of Lost Cities series.)    Lisa, Ashley, and Wren discuss traveling through reading, and how books can help you connect with what you're learning in school, like how Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series makes mythology come alive.    Wren also talks about rereading books and series that she loves, and starting off the day right with a good book.