Over pints of beer on the patio at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, host Sophia Layne sits down with co-founder Lenny Mendonca as he traces his journey from management consulting and statewide economic development, where he served as the governor’s chief economic advisor, to nonprofit leadership, small business ownership, and local life on the Coastside. Lenny reflects on bridging divides in California, the urgency of protecting democracy, and why Proposition 50 matters for the nation’s future.

Host Sophia Layne walks and talks with Antonio López, San Mateo County Poet Laureate and former Mayor of East Palo Alto, in a conversation spanning poetry to politics. Antonio reflects on growing up in an immigrant family, how verse became his way of telling truth, and what he’s learned leading in literary circles, in city hall, and in classrooms. With humor, heart, and a poet’s eye, Antonio shows how language can spark empathy, justice, and belonging.

Host Sophia Layne talks with Erin Tormey, Director of the Coastside Farmers Market, about how the market began, the struggles and resistance she faced, and the global lessons of collaboration and resilience in farming. From global shifts in the floriculture industry to the rise of organic pioneers like Del Cabo, Erin shares how local markets create abundance, belonging, and opportunities for generations.

In this episode, host Sophia Layne joins Kique Bazán at the Saturday morning food distribution event of the local nonprofit Ayudando Latinos a Soñar (ALAS) in Half Moon Bay. Kique shares his journey from Peru to California’s San Mateo County Coastside, the formative experiences that inspired his lifelong commitment to education and human rights, and the powerful role of human connection in creating true belonging.

As they walk through the food pantry, Kique shares stories from his mother’s courageous work sheltering homeless children in Peru, the solidarity that ended systemic violence there, and how his work with ALAS continues that legacy locally – creating spaces where people don’t just receive help, but help shape the solutions. From forging partnerships with organizations like Second Harvest to training migrant families as cultural tour guides, Kique shows how collaboration, creativity, and a shared rhythm can transform a community.

Whether you want to get involved, learn more about Kique’s work, or simply be inspired by the idea that walking together can change lives, this conversation will leave you hopeful—and ready to take that next (or first!) step towards community.

In this episode, host Sophia Layne visits Jayne Beatty at Miramar Farms near Half Moon Bay, where the conversation begins in Jane’s kitchen amid the smell of zucchini muffins baking in the oven and unfolds through a walk around her farm’s orchards and gardens.

Jane shares how Miramar Farms offers a unique refuge for corporate and nonprofit leaders—a place to slow down, reconnect, and do deep strategic work away from the pressures and rapid pace of modern business life. Together they explore the healing power of nature, the importance of human connection in today’s shifting corporate landscape, and the lessons farming teaches about patience, resilience, and community. This episode blends the quiet rhythms of farm life with thoughtful insights into how we navigate complexity in both soil and organizations.

Highlights:

• “Miramar Farms is a refuge—a place where leaders can slow down and think big.”
• “Corporate life has changed so much; people are craving connection more than ever.”
• “Nature has a way of helping you drop the guard and just be human.”
• “Farming teaches patience—something every leader needs these days.”
• “These muffins? They’re a little taste of grounding in a fast-moving world.”

Guest: Erin Tormey, Director of the Coastside Farmers Market, and Proprietor of Farm Fatales of Irish Ridge Ranch

Host: Sophia Layne

Location: Irish Ridge, Half Moon Bay

🎧 Episode Summary:

In this heartwarming and deeply insightful episode, we visit Irish Ridge with Erin Tormey—farmer, food systems advocate, and the powerhouse behind the Coastside Farmers Market. From duck eggs to water tanks, from philanthropy to regenerative agriculture, Erin shares her fascinating life story and the philosophy behind her beautifully integrated, off-the-beaten-path farm life.

We explore what it means to value food, community, and land, and how serendipity and science intertwine in the beautiful coastal hills just south of Half Moon Bay, California.

🔍 What You'll Hear:

• Erin’s unlikely journey from Texas Instruments to a 70-acre ridge farm
• The day she met a woman banging on a water tank (and how it changed everything)
• How integrated regenerative farming really works—ducks, dogs, compost, and all
• Why duck eggs might be your next baking secret
• The truth behind “free range” labels and the economics of industrial eggs
• How chickens, cattle, compost, and fruit trees form a closed-loop system
• Why respecting our food sources—especially eggs—matters now more than ever

🛠️ Takeaways:

• The importance of building local, sustainable food systems
• Rethinking how we value eggs and the animals that produce them
• How intentional land stewardship connects food, science, and community
• That every great farm—and life—starts with a bit of chaos and a lot of heart

🧑‍🌾 About the Guest:

Erin Tormey is a farmer, regenerative agriculture advocate, and Director of the Coastside Farmers Market. She lives and works on Irish Ridge, cultivating community, compost, and consciousness one duck egg at a time.

😎 About the Host:

Sophia Layne is a long-time Coastsider, nature lover, and mom. She's a former director in the biomedical industry and recovering local school board member.

Summary

In this episode, Sophia chats with folks at a recent public protest in Half Moon Bay, and in reflection, she shares some thoughts regarding the importance of civic engagement, emphasizing a need for for accurate information, a shift from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance, and advocating for sustainable investments in public infrastructure, and introduces this podcast as an experiment in helping achieve these three goals.

Chapters

00:00 Live from the No Kings Protest (Half Moon Bay, June 14, 2025)

06:42 Getting to a better place

07:39 First: Getting and staying better informed

08:34 Second: Shifting mindsets from scarcity to abundance

09:44 Third: Smart, sustainable infrastructure investments

11:42 Closing