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The HaltingWinter Podcast

Seth Winterhalter
The HaltingWinter Podcast
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  • 202: Rachel Witherspoon: Stewarding Stories and Small-Town Summers
    Show Notes: Rachel Witherspoon: Stewarding Stories and Small-Town Summers - Leading with Heart in Local Government Episode 202 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Zencity Overview In this episode, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Rachel Witherspoon, the inspiring Village Manager of Pentwater, Michigan—a leader who reminds us that small towns carry big responsibilities, and often, even bigger stories. From her early fascination with city council meetings as a kid to navigating the dynamic seasonal rhythms of a summer tourist town on Lake Michigan, this is a story of purpose, persistence, and people-centered leadership. Rachel shares how internships, mentors, and a deep sense of calling helped her discover city management as a career and why roles like “assistant to the village manager” are some of the most transformative in local government. She reflects on what it’s like to lead in a village of under 900 residents that swells to 10,000 in the summer, and what it means to steward not just infrastructure, but legacy and memory. This episode is a must-listen for anyone considering the leap into municipal leadership or trying to rediscover the heart behind the work. Rachel's wisdom—on building trust, setting boundaries, and embracing the call to lead—is as refreshing as a lake breeze in July. Episode Highlights: The Power of Showing Up Early How a childhood memory of watching her dad speak at a city council meeting sparked a lifelong love for local government. The Assistant Seat is Underrated Why being “the assistant to” may be the most growth-filled role in a city organization and why more people should consider it. Small Town, Big Complexity What it takes to run a village that triples in population every summer, from water systems to police staffing to economic development. Building Trust When You’re the Outsider Rachel shares her intentional efforts to be visible, communicate openly, and become part of the fabric of Pentwater life. Six Lessons in Nine Months We unpack her viral LinkedIn post that highlights the early lessons of being in the seat, from utilizing your network to celebrating small wins. Why Local Government Isn’t Just a Job—It’s a Calling A beautiful reflection on faith, mentorship, and the reminder that people—not just policy—are at the center of the work. Connect with Rachel Witherspoon LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/spoonrachel/ Rachel's LinkedIn Post on Lessons Learned: https://bit.ly/4knZKXH About Our Sponsor: Zencity This episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast is proudly sponsored by Zencity—a trusted partner to hundreds of local governments around the world. Zencity is a software that enables local government leaders to gather, understand, and act on resident feedback - going beyond the "same ten people" to actually reach residents where they're at, and incorporate that feedback into decisions large and small. To learn more about how Zencity is helping turn data into action and insight into impact, click the link below. Learn more at Zencity.io Connect with Seth Winterhalter: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter Website: www.HaltingWinter.com About HaltingWinter Municipal Solutions At HaltingWinter, we help local government leaders build thriving teams and resilient workplace cultures through keynotes, workshops, and leadership development programs rooted in the ABCs of Impactful Municipal Leadership.  Learn more at HaltingWinter.com Seth's Upcoming Keynotes: 2025 Kentucky League of Cities Annual Conference & Expo September 24 | Owensboro, KY Details at KLC 2025 Kansas City/County Management Association Annual Conference December 4 | Manhattan, KS Details at KCMA The MLDC The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is where municipal leaders grow together through weekly podcasts, curated book insights, and a nationwide peer community focused on real leadership, real culture, and real conversations. Secure Your Seat with our Summer Special: Join the MLDC
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  • 201: Book of the Week: The Leadership Challenge
    Show Notes: Book of the Week – The Leadership ChallengeEpisode 201 of The HaltingWinter Podcast (Part 1 of 5: Leadership Challenge Series) Episode Title: Five Practices That Transform Municipal Leadership Episode Overview Research-backed leadership isn't about charisma or authority—it's about five learnable practices that address your unique municipal challenges. In this kickoff episode of our The Leadership Challenge series, Seth Winterhalter explores how James Kouzes and Barry Posner's decades of leadership research translates directly to the complex environment of municipal leadership. From managing council dynamics to building departmental collaboration, the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership provide a proven framework for navigating the political pressures and public scrutiny that define your daily leadership reality. Whether you're struggling with credibility, vision alignment, or organizational culture, these research-based practices offer practical approaches that work within the constraints of local government while building the relationships essential for long-term municipal success. Key Takeaways Why the Five Practices framework seems perfectly designed for municipal environments How Model the Way addresses the credibility challenges unique to public sector leadership Why Inspire a Shared Vision requires different skills in municipal settings than private organizations How Challenge the Process and Enable Others to Act drive innovation within government constraints Why Encourage the Heart becomes essential for public service motivation and retention This Week's Journey in the MLDC Monday: The Five Practices framework and municipal leadership credibility Tuesday–Thursday: Deep dives into values-based leadership, shared vision creation, and innovation within constraints Friday: Virtual Book Club for live conversation and practical leadership implementation tools Join the MLDC: Summer Special Now is the best time to join the MLDC, giving you access to:       ✔ All five episodes breaking down The Leadership Challenge for municipal contexts      ✔ Daily blog reflections and implementation tools      ✔ A community of local government leaders developing leadership effectiveness      ✔ Our live, weekly Virtual Book Club session ➡ Join now at www.HaltingWinter.com/MLDC Resources Mentioned Book: The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes & Barry Posner MLDC Info: www.haltingwinter.com/mldc Connect with Seth LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter Website: www.HaltingWinter.com
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  • 200: Eyal Feder-Levy: From Noise to Insight: How Zencity Helps Cities Truly Listen
    Show Notes: Eyal Feder-Levy – From Noise to Insight: How Zencity Helps Cities Truly Listen Episode 200 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Overview For our 200th episode, we’re honored to feature Eyal Feder-Levy, CEO and co-founder of Zencity—a company that’s redefining how local governments understand and serve their communities. Eyal’s journey began far from the city halls of the U.S. in the world of urban planning and civic tech in Tel Aviv. What started as a fascination with how cities grow and adapt became a bold mission: help city leaders make better decisions by listening more effectively to their residents. This episode dives into the heart of that mission. Eyal and Seth explore the real challenges local leaders face—drowning in fragmented data, struggling to cut through the noise, and trying to lead in a world where trust is eroding. And then they get practical—how Zencity’s platform takes social media posts, 311 data, open-ended survey responses, and more, and turns it all into real-time insight leaders can use to act. This isn’t just a tech story, it’s a leadership story. It’s about how listening well might just be the most important skill for every city manager, mayor, or public works director in today’s environment. And yes, it’s also the official announcement that Zencity is now the presenting sponsor of The HaltingWinter Podcast. Let’s go. Episode Highlights: What’s Broken in Local Feedback Loops: Eyal shares why traditional resident engagement tools—like town halls and one-way surveys—fail to capture the full picture, and how Zencity is changing that. Why Listening is a Leadership Superpower: In an era of mistrust and polarization, Eyal explains why it’s more important than ever that leaders really hear what their communities are saying, beyond the loudest voices in the room. From Tech Founder to Municipal Ally: Eyal opens up about his shift from “startup CEO” to “partner in public service,” and why Zencity doesn’t just want to sell tools—it wants to solve real problems. Turning Data into Direction: How Zencity helps local governments filter noise, find trends, and make confident decisions, without guessing what their residents want or need. What Keeps Eyal Up at Night (and What Gives Him Hope): A powerful reflection on the state of democracy, the future of civic leadership, and why he’s still optimistic about the role local governments can play. Connect with Eyal Feder-Levy LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eyalfeder Email: [email protected] About Our Sponsor: Zencity This episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast is proudly sponsored by Zencity—a trusted partner to hundreds of local governments around the world. Zencity helps city and county leaders make more confident, community-informed decisions by turning resident input into real-time, actionable insights. Whether it’s social media sentiment, 311 calls, or open-ended survey feedback, Zencity distills the noise into clear signals—so local leaders can lead with clarity, not guesswork. Learn more at Zencity.io Connect with Seth Winterhalter: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter Website: www.HaltingWinter.com About HaltingWinter Municipal Solutions At HaltingWinter, we help local government leaders build thriving teams and resilient workplace cultures through keynotes, workshops, and leadership development programs rooted in the ABCs of Impactful Municipal Leadership.  Learn more at HaltingWinter.com Seth's Upcoming Keynotes: 2025 Kentucky League of Cities Annual Conference & Expo September 24 | Owensboro, KY Details at KLC 2025 Kansas City/County Management Association Annual Conference December 4 | Manhattan, KS Details at KCMA The MLDC The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is where municipal leaders grow together through weekly podcasts, curated book insights, and a nationwide peer community focused on real leadership, real culture, and real conversations. Secure Your Seat with our Summer Special: Join the MLDC
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  • 199: Gabe Reaume: Farm Boy. Fiction Writer. City Manager: An Unconventional Rise to Leadership
    Show Notes: Gabe Reaume – Farm Boy. Fiction Writer. City Manager: An Unconventional Rise to Leadership Episode 199 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Overview In this episode, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Gabe Reaume, City Manager of Saginaw, Texas—a fast-growing city northwest of Fort Worth—whose path into municipal leadership is anything but typical. Gabe’s story begins on a dairy farm in rural Michigan, winds through a nearly abandoned education degree, and takes shape thanks to the advice of an old farmer who suggested city management as a career. What follows is a tale of grit, growth, and grace from hauling livestock and living without a car to working unpaid internships and eventually leading a thriving Texas city. But Gabe’s leadership journey isn’t just about policy and budgets; it’s also deeply personal. In the midst of rising through the ranks, he found healing and joy through writing, penning both a memoir and a novel while navigating the pressures of public service. This conversation is a powerful reminder that some of the most impactful leaders come from unexpected places and that creativity, humility, and persistence still matter in local government. Episode Highlights: Rooted in Rural Values: Gabe reflects on growing up in a multigenerational farming family and how early lessons in hard work, patience, and practicality continue to shape his leadership today. No Car, No Salary, No Problem: How volunteering for an unpaid internship while walking to work launched his career and why young professionals should stop waiting for perfect conditions and just show up. Living with Grandma, Writing a Memoir: The deeply personal story of how moving in with a friend’s grandmother became a transformative chapter, one that inspired his first book and shaped his view of life and legacy. Leading Without a Script: Why city management isn’t about being the smartest person in the room, but about serving with humility, embracing the mess, and staying mission-focused. Creative Outlets and Sustainable Leadership: Gabe opens up about writing as a way to manage stress, stay grounded, and connect with the humanity behind the work. Connect with Gabe Reaume LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gabe-reaume Books: Gabe Reaume on Amazon Connect with Seth Winterhalter: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter Website: www.HaltingWinter.com About HaltingWinter Municipal Solutions At HaltingWinter, we help local government leaders build thriving teams and resilient workplace cultures through keynotes, workshops, and leadership development programs rooted in the ABCs of Impactful Municipal Leadership.  Learn more at HaltingWinter.com Seth's Upcoming Keynotes: 2025 Kentucky League of Cities Annual Conference & Expo September 24 | Owensboro, KY Details at KLC 2025 Kansas City/County Management Association Annual Conference December 4 | Manhattan, KS Details at KCMA The MLDC The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is where municipal leaders grow together through weekly podcasts, curated book insights, and a nationwide peer community focused on real leadership, real culture, and real conversations. Secure Your Summer Special and Start Your FREE 7-day trial  Join the MLDC
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  • 198: Book of the Week: The Productivity Project
    Show Notes: Book of the Week – The Productivity ProjectEpisode 198 of The HaltingWinter Podcast (Part 1 of 5: Productivity Project Series) Episode Title: Beyond Busy: Why Municipal Leaders Need to Rethink Productivity Episode OverviewBeing busy and being productive are not the same thing, and the difference could transform your municipal leadership. In this kickoff episode of our The Productivity Project series, Seth Winterhalter explores how municipal leaders fall into the dangerous "factory mindset" trap that equates activity with accomplishment. Drawing from Chris Bailey's year-long productivity experiment, we discover that true effectiveness comes from managing three critical resources: your time, your attention, and your energy. Whether you're juggling council demands, managing department heads, or navigating community crises, your capacity to work strategically rather than reactively determines your impact. In this episode, we examine why working longer hours often produces fewer meaningful results and how to escape the busyness trap that's exhausting municipal leaders nationwide. Key Takeaways How emotional contagion amplifies in high-stakes municipal environments Why your stress during budget season affects your entire team's performance The connection between emotional regulation and community confidence How crisis leadership begins with emotional self-management Why traditional "just focus on the facts" approaches fall short in public sector leadership This Week's Journey in the MLDC Monday: The factory mindset trap and why busyness isn't productivity Tuesday–Thursday: Deep dives into time management (Rule of Three), attention protection, and energy optimization Friday: Virtual Book Club for live conversation and practical productivity implementation tools Join the MLDC: Summer Special Now is the best time to join the MLDC, giving you access to:       ✔ All five episodes breaking down The Productivity Project for municipal contexts      ✔ Daily blog reflections and emotional intelligence implementation tools      ✔ A community of city managers and local government leaders developing leadership effectiveness      ✔ Our live, weekly Virtual Book Club session ➡ Join now at www.HaltingWinter.com/MLDC Resources Mentioned Book: The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey MLDC Info: www.haltingwinter.com/mldc Connect with Seth LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter Website: www.HaltingWinter.com
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About The HaltingWinter Podcast

The HaltingWinter Podcast offers insights and strategies for city managers and municipal leaders to transform their leadership, energize their teams, and revitalize their municipalities. Hosted by Seth Winterhalter, President of HaltingWinter Municipal Solutions, we explore innovative approaches to balance personal well-being with professional growth while cultivating a vibrant workplace culture. Discover how to lead with purpose, navigate complex challenges, and deliver exceptional results for your community. Each episode provides actionable advice to help you thrive in the unique landscape of municipal leadership. Whether you're a seasoned city manager or new to municipal leadership, this podcast is your resource for personal and professional growth. Tune in and join our mission of making stronger cities through stronger leaders.
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