Our stories today were recorded live in person in front of a full lawn on June 16th, 2026, at Bonner Park Bandshell in Missoula, MT. The theme was “Power of Place”.

In our first story, a random audition lands Linda Grinde on the set of one of Hollywood’s most notorious movie disasters. It’s 1979, and Linda is headed to Montana for a summer theater gig. She ends up wrapped in layers of wool, riding in buckboard wagons, and holding a rifle near the Canadian border.

Linda calls her story “Time Traveler”.

Linda Grinde loves adventures and theater in equal measure. She is an actor and director who has traveled to 3 continents with her productions. She once hung by her knees on a trapeze 30 feet in the air and flew into the arms of a burly acrobat. But that’s another story.

In our next story, one place holds the key to Noura Mahmoud’s life’s work, her greatest love story, and her family’s future? Follow Nora on a journey that began with a 12-year-old girl’s school trip to the Library of Alexandria. From discovering a lifelong passion for teaching to a first date over Shakespeare, discover how a single sacred space can shape who we are across generations.

Nora calls her story “A Place Kept Finding Me.”

Noura Mahmoud is an experienced English language teacher and certified trainer from Egypt with over 18 years of experience in secondary education and teacher professional development. She is a certified trainer with the Professional Academy for Teachers, the British Council, and the American University in Cairo, and has contributed to large-scale programs such as NTTP, TEA, and Connect. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for her excellence in education, including being ranked among top teachers in a UNESCO innovation competition and receiving the Ideal Teacher award at the secondary level. She is particularly interested in integrating technology and artificial intelligence into education, as reflected in her project “My Smart Blog Speaks a Global Language.” She values collaboration, lifelong learning, and building supportive learning communities, and she is excited to join international programs to exchange experiences and expand her impact in education.

Madeline M loses her 29-year-old partner, leaving her lost in grief and overwhelmed by the heavy logistics of loss. An unexpected phone call from a near-stranger leads her to a small Utah town where a community embraces her. Listen to Madeline’s story about grief, grace, and finding a way forward.

She calls her story ““Dawn and Dusk””.

Madeline M is a storyteller, media producer, and nonprofit communications strategist based in Missoula. As Director of Storytelling at Resource Rural, she works with communities across the country to document how people are shaping change in the places they call home. Colorado raised, Utah forged, and Montana polished, she has spent much of her career helping rural communities tell their own stories and challenge assumptions about rural America. When she’s not working, you’ll likely find her riding gravel roads or gabbing with the gals. Tonight, she’s excited to share a story of her own.

Closing out this episode of the Tell Us Something podcast, Rebellious 15-year old Cathy Scholtens is desperate to escape a chaotic home life, landing her at an all-girls Catholic boarding school run by an eclectic group of nuns.

Discover how these stubborn, funny, and compassionate women showed Cathy what it truly means to be home in a story she calls “Lesson Learned”.

Thanks, Cathy. Cathy Scholtens is a retired pediatric nurse, veteran, and professional noticer of weird little things. She talks to strangers, loves the color yellow and occasionally follows curiosity down questionable paths. She believes life is best lived with laughter, kindness, and a willingness to look slightly ridiculous. She remains completely unsupervised.