Content note: This episode includes discussion of mental health and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988.
Creativity Connects with Mikki Wilson is a Creative Collective podcast that preserves and shares the stories of remarkable women connected to the North Shore community. Hosted by Mikki Wilson, founder of Dot Connector Consulting. Produced by Randyll Collum for Peabody TV. Sponsored by Jenni Stuart Fine Jewelry.
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Jump to:
- 0:00 Welcome to the living room
- 2:06 The “pretties” and Auntie Terry
- 7:19 A place that shaped her
- 12:24 Who she was before the role
- 15:39 What people don’t see
- 23:38 Why Salem became home
- 24:47 “I’m successful in it”
- 27:37 What feeds her
- 31:11 Ukulele moment
- 38:32 How she hopes people feel
- 41:20 Closing credits
Finding Belonging Through Creativity and Community
Season 2 opens somewhere new: Mikki’s living room. It is the right place to start this season’s promise of going beyond the business to meet the woman behind the role, and Amanda “A” Larson, Assistant Director of the Salem Chamber of Commerce, is the right first guest. We know A from her work connecting the businesses, nonprofits, and civic organizations that shape Salem. This conversation is about everything else: the godmother who made her feel seen, the place that helped her take her mask off, a fruit-sticker collection, and what belonging through creativity has looked like in her life.
The pretties, and the woman who saw her
The episode starts with headbands. When A was born without much hair, her godmother Terry, a “super, super crafty lady,” made her “pretties” so people would know she was a girl. The headbands became clips, the clips became a lifetime of handmade things, and A still keeps them close. What Terry gave her was bigger than craft.
“Terry was a wonderful woman who saw me for me and empowered me through my entire life, and still does to this day.”
A carries Terry’s heartbeat as a tattoo and, more visibly, in the way she loves people. “She taught me to love. She taught me kindness. But she also taught me to have a backbone.” We hear that combination all through the conversation: soft on the people, firm on the standards.
Taking the mask off
When Mikki asks about a place that shaped her, A does not hesitate. She names the hospital where she received inpatient treatment during her mental health journey, and she names it on purpose, because she wants the stigma gone. What she found there was community: people who understood without explanation.
“You get it. So you’re able to take that mask off, and you’re able to breathe.”
A is candid that the years before were hard, and that there was a time she did not expect to be here. She says it plainly and without drama, and we are choosing to leave the fuller telling in her own voice on the episode. What she wants listeners to hear is where it led. “Every single day is a gift that I did not expect to have.” Getting help, living on her own, doing work she loves: none of it was guaranteed, and all of it is hers now.
From pastels to neon
A is quick to say the Salem Chamber of Commerce is where she found herself. She loved the jobs before it, in public education administration and elsewhere, and she credits every one as a stepping stone. But something turned up when she started this role: getting out into the community, doing the Chamber’s social media, being on camera, being known.
“I think I was a little muted before coming onto the Chamber. I still was this version of myself, but a little quieter. My light wasn’t shining as great.”
Mikki’s phrase for it: from pastels to neon. A’s answer, instantly: “Exactly. The hues have changed, baby.” It is a good reminder for all of us that the right room does not change who you are; it turns the brightness up.
Fruit stickers and a journal you are supposed to wreck
Here is the part of the episode our community will be talking about. A collects fruit stickers. It started with a Wreck This Journal, the prompt journal that asks you to break the binding, take it into the shower, and, on one page, paste in your fruit stickers. She did not have any, so she started saving them on a kitchen cabinet. Then the whole cabinet. Then the journal. Mikki got her first sticker on the set, from an apple, live on camera.
“Because I just love them. What’s wrong with being a weirdo?”
Nothing, as far as we can tell. The journal is also a genuinely useful tip for anyone who finds a blank page intimidating: it takes the pressure of perfection out of the practice, which is where creativity usually starts.
Salem looks good on me
A is from Rhode Island. When life changed and she had to find a new living situation, going home was not on the table, because Salem had become home. She names the inclusivity first, then the walkability, then the feeling of being herself in a city that lets her.
“Salem looks good on me, and I look good on Salem.”
What has surprised her most about this chapter is simple: “I think that I’m successful in it.” She applied for the Chamber role as a long shot, with a background that was, in her words, everywhere. That turned out to be the point. “You don’t need to stay in a job that you’re not happy in.” Every stop shaped her for the one she is in now, and “this city has shaped me to believe in myself and to know that I can be successful in many different ways.”
What feeds her, and what she leaves behind
Live music, especially Phish. Writing, including a mental health blog she hopes this conversation nudges her back to. And the ukulele: Mikki hands over the one she won at a paddleboard race, A tunes it while Mikki tells stories, and then she plays. She changes the last line of the song to “we do belong here,” which is as close to a thesis as this episode gets.
“I often close my eyes at shows and just live.”
Asked how she hopes people feel when they leave a room she has been in, A does not talk about the Chamber or her title. “I hope I make people want to be themselves more. I want to be a safe space. I just want them to leave more loved than they came in.” Mikki’s answer: that is the little bit of Terry in her.
Lessons We’re Carrying Forward
- Being seen for who you are, early and often, shapes how you see everyone else.
- Community is where the mask comes off, and that is worth protecting.
- The right role does not change you; it lets your light get brighter.
- The odd things that bring you joy are not a distraction from the work. They are you.
Call to Action
We are starting Season 2 with a question A answered by living it: who are you when the role comes off? If there are rooms where you can be all of yourself, spend more time in them. If there are not enough of those rooms yet, our community is trying to be one. Stop by the Salem Chamber of Commerce and say hello to A, come to a Creative Collective gathering, or volunteer with Salem Main Streets. Getting out and being part of the community, as A puts it, is something that will feed you.
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Join the Conversation
- Who is the person who saw you for you before anyone else did?
- Where do you get to take the mask off?
- What is the “fruit sticker” in your life, the small strange joy you have stopped apologizing for?
Join the conversation at creativecollectivema.com.
Connect with Amanda “A” Larson
Connect with the Salem Chamber of Commerce
- Website: https://www.salem-chamber.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalemMaChamber
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salemchamber
Resources mentioned in this episode
- A’s mental health blog, A Bowl of Oatmeal: https://abowlofoatmeal.blog/
- Wreck This Journal (the prompt journal behind the fruit-sticker collection)
- A’s fruit-sticker collection photo (Mikki will post it)
- Salem Chamber of Commerce: https://www.salem-chamber.org/ (or stop by the office and say hi)
- Ways to get involved: volunteer with the Salem Chamber of Commerce, Creative Collective, or Salem Main Streets
- If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).
Credits
Creativity Connects with Mikki Wilson is a Creative Collective podcast hosted by Mikki Wilson. Randyll Collum produces this podcast for Peabody TV, your community media center serving the residents and businesses of Peabody and the North Shore area. Sponsored by Jenni Stuart Fine Jewelry.
Episode Description
In this episode, Mikki is joined by Amanda “A” Larson, Assistant Director of the Salem Chamber of Commerce. A. opens up about the experiences, relationships, and creative practices that have shaped who she is beyond her professional role.
Their conversation explores the story of the “pretties” A’s godmother made for her and what they taught her about being seen, loved, and remembered. A reflects on her journey from public education administration into community leadership, finding a sense of belonging in Salem, and how her relationship with mental health has influenced the care and understanding she extends to others.
They also talk about creativity as a source of joy, expression, and connection—from writing and live music to playing the ukulele—and what it means to help create a community where people feel welcomed, valued, and included.
Key Topics Discussed
- The story of the “pretties” A’s godmother made and what they represent today
- How being seen and loved shapes the way we care for other people
- A.’s transition from public education administration into civic and community leadership
- Why Salem became a place where A wanted to put down roots
- How A’s experience with mental health has shaped her relationship with herself and others
- Creativity as a source of joy, self-expression, and care
- The role writing, reading, live music, and playing the ukulele have in A’s life
- Helping create communities where people feel welcomed, connected, and included
- The person A is continuing to become—personally as well as professionally
Memorable Quotes
- “Terry was a wonderful woman who saw me for me and empowered me through my entire life, and still does to this day.” — A
- “You get it. So you’re able to take that mask off, and you’re able to breathe.” — A
- “Salem looks good on me, and I look good on Salem.” — A
- “We just want to feel seen and heard in a way that you don’t have to pretend to be something you’re not.” — Mikki
- “I hope I make people want to be themselves more. I want to be a safe space. I just want them to leave more loved than they came in.” — A
About the Guest
Amanda “A” Larson is the Assistant Director of the Salem Chamber of Commerce. With a background in public education administration, executive support, strategic coordination, and community engagement, A helps support and connect the businesses, nonprofits, civic organizations, and residents who shape Salem.
A is deeply committed to mental health advocacy, uplifting the queer community, and advancing equality and inclusion. Outside of work, she is an avid reader, writer, live-music lover, ukulele player, arts supporter, and proud pet parent to Oatmeal and Saoirse. She believes in the power of kindness, creativity, connection, and community.
The Salem Chamber of Commerce supports nearly 500 businesses and works to strengthen Salem’s business and civic environment through advocacy, collaboration, information, and meaningful connections.
About the Host
Mikki Wilson is the host of Creativity Connects with Mikki Wilson and the founder of Dot Connector Consulting. Known as “The Dot Connector,” Mikki brings people, ideas, and communities together through trust‑based connection and human‑centered leadership, cultivating conversations that go beyond the brand to highlight the lived experiences and “messy middles” behind women’s journeys.
About the Podcast
Creativity Connects with Mikki Wilson is a Creative Collective podcast that preserves and shares the stories of remarkable women connected to the North Shore community. Hosted by Mikki Wilson, founder of Dot Connector Consulting. Produced by Randyll Collum for Peabody TV. Sponsored by Jenni Stuart Fine Jewelry.
Dot Connector Consulting
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My name is Mikki Wilson, and I am The Dot Connector. Purpose-driven women entrepreneurs providing services partner with me when they struggle to pay themselves consistently! I connect the dots in your business with a distinct and disruptive marketing strategy allowing you to scale and identify pathways that increase profitability and produce passive income streams you might be overlooking! I
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