New podcast aims to unite Manson through stories

MANSON – Russ McClellan, a fourth-generation resident of Manson, has launched a new podcast called Small Towns Unscripted. 

Inspired by his deep roots in the area—his grandmother arrived in Manson by covered wagon from Missouri—and decades of experience in real estate, McClellan aims to foster authentic, positive conversations within the community.

The podcast seeks to counteract the negativity often seen in social media by encouraging meaningful dialogue. 

“And so I was like, how do we bring positivity to a small town, and because I'm fourth generation, my kids are fifth, I could probably say I'm a local, covered wagon kind of covers that,” he said. “But I also think the person that moved here yesterday is a local, and I think that we get too hung up on these tribal kind of ideas, that somehow I've been here 20 years or five years or 30 years, how about we just start getting to know each other instead?”

McClellan’s goal is to break down barriers between longtime locals and newcomers, emphasizing that everyone in the community has a story worth sharing.

Episodes feature unscripted, long-form interviews with local residents, highlighting their unique stories and contributions.

McClellan, along with Tara Kalian, Desiree Phelps, and Nicole Turner, interview residents to learn more about them and share with listeners. 

Podcasts drop every Friday. Currently, episodes can be found on the Small Towns Unspripted YouTube channel. McClellan hopes to have the website smalltownsunscripted.com up and running soon.

Ultimately, Small Towns Unscripted aims to build a sense of connection and rekindle the neighborly spirit that McClellan fondly remembers from his childhood in Manson.

McClellan finds people fascinating and believes that everyone has a unique story. 

“It's a great podcast for the curious person,” he said.”I think coming from a curious mindset is a lost art, instead of a judgmental mindset.”

McClellan hopes to offset negativity and judgement with raw and unscripted positivity. 

“So it's not that everybody's going to agree,” he said. “That's not the goal. I hope they disagree.” 

“I just hope that we can learn how to disagree with respect and avoid tribalism and actually remember we're all in this together, and we you know, we're all humans, and we all have our strengths and weaknesses,” he said.

McClellan hopes that through his podcasts people may discover they are more alike than they think.

Quinn Propst: 509-731-3590 or quinn@ward.media.