HAL'S DONUT HOUSE

About HAL'S DONUT HOUSE

DONUT BE SCARED OF COMMUNITIES Lighthearted discussions about Community, Values, Family, Social media, and whatever else comes to mind. Discussions with influencers and shining lights hidden in these communities. Do you have something to say? Let's talk about it. reach out and If you bring the Coffee, I'll bring the Donuts Subscribe to stay up to date. DM me if you want to do a podcast.

Publisher

Hal Bleiweiss - Community Manager. Leading communities of community leaders.

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

12 Nov 2023

Latest episode

17 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

18 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   17 Aug 2026

   Melaine Brummer, Tina Hilck and Hal Bleiweiss Talk about Community

   What happened to community before, during, and after COVID, and where are we now? In this episode of Hal’s Donut House: Don’t Be Afraid of Community, Tina Hilck, Melanie Brummer, and Hal Bleiweiss explore how the meaning of community has changed over the past several years. Before COVID, many communities relied heavily on face-to-face interaction. During the pandemic, online spaces became essential for connection, support, work, and shared experiences. Today, people are searching for a better balance between digital access and meaningful in-person relationships. The conversation examines why simply joining a group is no longer enough. Strong communities require people to participate, respond, contribute, and create together. Tina, Melanie, and Hal also discuss authentic communication, remote-work experiences, community monetization, the importance of providing real value, and why people increasingly connect with content that reflects their needs and identity. This is an honest, unscripted conversation between three experienced community professionals who bring different cultural, geographic, and personal perspectives to the discussion. Has community returned to what it was before COVID, or are we still creating something entirely different? After listening, we challenge you to share your own experience in the comments. How did COVID change the way you connect with others, and what does community mean to you today? We genuinely value your perspective because your experiences can help continue this important conversation. Please share this episode with someone whose story or viewpoint should be part of the discussion. Pull up a chair, grab a donut, and join the conversation.

2. 

   20 Nov 2025

   Rucks 2 Pucks 501c-3 discussion with Taylor

   Rucks 2 Pucks (https://rucks2pucks.com/) is a non-profit 501c3 charity where our mission is to help veterans and their families by promoting an active lifestyle through hockey. We promote the lifestyle to provide a sense of community and camaraderie, something veterans often lose once leaving the service. This is a key component in fighting veteran suicide and reducing the 22 a day. This podcast is an honor to present to you.

3. 

   24 Apr 2025

   Abagail McKiernan of HelpLink

   I had the distinct honor of sitting with this most amazing human being. Abagail McKiernan and I discussed the origins of HelpLink the 501-c3 charity that is redefining what it means to be a successful nonprofit by using their social media platform to connect people in need directly to resources and members in their community who are able to help in times of crisis. Bring your tissues for this one, It is heartwarming and inspiring to say the least. For more info:https://helplink.org/

4. 

   13 Feb 2025

   PIPER WILSON COMMUNITY LEADER AND AMAZING PEOPLE PERSON

   Please enjoy a wonderful conversation we had with the amazing Piper Wilson. We will talk about our foundational experience with community, current status, AI, and its role in social media. We will learn all sorts of fun and meaningful parts of her journey. And if we are lucky, we will find out why purple hair is the most fabulous color.

5. 

   4 Mar 2024

   Jeri Hart of Jeri Designs

   Jeri creates the world's most beautiful and unique hand-crafted custom guitar straps, incredible replica guitar straps and her own "off the rack" guitar strap line. Our top-of-the-line custom guitar straps are worn by today's most popular musicians, as well as favorite sports heroes, politicians. Checkout the site for more info Jeri Designs (https://www.jeridesigns.com/default.asp)

6. 

   6 Jan 2024

   Dee Dee Becker - President, Becker Communications

   Dee Dee is a parent of a Virginia Tech Hokie alum and serves as lead admin for the Virginia Tech Parents Facebook group and founder of University Parent Group Admins for community managers like her who run university parent groups. With 28K members, Virginia Tech Parents is the largest parent-only university parent group in the US. University Parent Group Admins has 672 members representing nearly 300 university parent groups across the US, UK, and Canada. With a background in marketing, PR, and crisis management, I helped manage multiple communities through several crises: an active shooter incident, the pandemic, student suicides, and more. Through these tragedies, Dee Dee saw the superpower of community come to life as her admin team and members came together to create meaningful impact on each other’s lives. It continuously stirs her passion for community management, bringing her back to it day after day. At the same time, she has authored several case studies and spoken about crisis management at Meta’s global headquarters. She is a Meta Certified Community Manager and was hired as a full-time contingent worker on Meta’s Community Management Team. For more than 15 years now, she has also managed online health communities for hospitals and health systems, crafting and telling the stories of healthcare heroes and other brands “doing good” for the communities they serve. Ask her about the time a Navy jet crashed in Virginia Beach (all survived), or when a hospital patient caused a shocking stir with a fake bomb threat and how she managed that active shooter incident she mentioned, as well as ongoing critical global health discussions in several official Meta-managed online communities.

7. 

   29 Dec 2023

   Jennifer Paine Career Coach

   Jennifer is a passionate career coach whose mission is to empower women in the tech industry. Her personal journey positions her well to help women accelerate their careers. Her LinkedIn profile (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferpaine90/) gives you a glimpse into her amazing process.

8. 

   10 Dec 2023

   Melanie Brummer: Community leader at Up-Cycled Cloth Collective..

   The Up-Cycled Cloth Collective (https://www.facebook.com/groups/UpCycledClothCollective) is a global movement of textile enthusiasts sharing ways to reduce textile and fiber waste in landfills and promote ethical buying behavior. This podcast was extra fun, and what a joy it is to spend any time with Melanie,

9. 

   7 Dec 2023

   Raissa Ruschel the Nostalgia Chick

   Raissa Ruschel, the Nostalgia Chick, Her Instagram community currently has 328,000 followers, Posting all about pop culture and nostalgia from 90s and early 00s tv shows, movies & fashion for all the hopeless, nostalgic hearts out there. This community is a welcome respite from the seriousness of today. It brings you back to a more fun enjoyable time. https://www.instagram.com/nostalgiachick/

10. 

    5 Dec 2023

    Mary Wu LinkedIn Whisperer And so much more

    We dive into how community threads its way through all we do today. Family, friends, clients, and all the other things. Communities of researchers and other like-minded people How communities make decades-long connections How has our concept of privacy changed today compared to days gone by If you chat with her, ask her about the panda bears ;)

11. 

    2 Dec 2023

    Avani Parekh, an insightful, fun informative conversation PLUS a surprise appearance by Tina Hilck

    Avani Parekh and Tina Hilck, Two superstars in the community world that involve NGOs and marketing, sit down for a fantastic conversation about all of the "things." We even touch on the ROI for brands and governments, Pitch the value of community, and even toss in a community cake recipe at the end. Be sure to share the link, and please subscribe. We have a stellar list of podcasts coming up soon. DON'T miss one of them

12. 

    15 Nov 2023

    1-1 heartfelt chat with the wonderful fun loving Tina Hilck

    It is a great honor to present to you one of my dearest friends and co-workers, Tina Hilck. Her caring, concern, empathy, and lighthearted ways inspire thousands. And it is my distinct honor to know her. ,

13. 

    12 Nov 2023

    1-1 with Malissa Nicholson (Franzen)

    A wonderful conversation with Malissa Nicholson  (Franzen), we dive deep into some emotional real-life things.

14. 

    12 Nov 2023

    1-1 with the one and only Austin James

    A little about the Meta certified community manager program, monetization, and branding.

15. 

    12 Nov 2023

    1-1 with the amazing Geriann Hanley Wiesbrook

    We had so many inspiring moments during this event it is hard to pin one down, But I'll call out her involvement with the Military Mama Network. (https://www.facebook.com/groups/militarymamanetwork) Geriann was truly a lovely person to chat with.

16. 

    12 Nov 2023

    1-1 with the amazing Diana Boseman

    We get emotional about the mission of "Free Mom Hugs, " which is building a better world one hug at a time. WE have been friends for years, and I loved this discussion.

17. 

    12 Nov 2023

    Hal sits down with Logan Johnston a most amazing mentor, friend and co-worker

    Logan Johnston and I sit and discuss the value of meaningful community, YThe importance in recognising the members in each community, The origins of community management and a little fun about each of us.

18. 

    12 Nov 2023

    A son and his dad

    I sat down with my hero and amazing son Anthony Bleiweiss to talk about community, growing up, and his life as a paramedic during the pandemic. and his experience in New York during 9/11

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 26 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

28

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

60