About Weathering Life w/ Belinda Jensen & Lee Valsvik
Weathering Life isn't about having all the answers. It's about enjoying the forecast with the right company. After decades in Minnesota broadcasting, Bel reading the atmosphere and Lee reading the room, these two MN Hall of Famers have one new mission: helping people navigate life's stormiest transitions. Weathering Life with Bel and Lee is a weekly podcast packed with wit, wisdom, and guests who've been through their own forecast changes — career pivots, reinvention, unexpected detours, and the sunny stretches in between. No teleprompter. No script. Just two legends, a mic, and the conversation you didn't know you needed.
Host Belinda Jensen and Lee Valsvik interview Katie Dorn as she shares how she found hope amidst profound loss while caring for and adopting her sister's daughters.
6 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Still in the Game: Randy Shaver
Belinda Jensen and Lee Valsvik interview Randy Shaver about his fulfilling retirement, passion for prep football, and impactful cancer research fund.
29 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Rebekkah Brunson: From Champion to Coach
Belinda Jensen and Lee Valsvik interview Rebekah Brunson, WNBA champion and Minnesota Lynx assistant coach, about her transition from player to coach.
22 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
From NFL Linebacker to Minnesota Mainstay
Belinda Jensen and Lee Valsvik interview former NFL linebacker Ben Leber about his transition to Minnesota media and lessons learned from his career.
15 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
30 Ballparks, One Life-Saving Mission
Belinda Jensen and Lee Valsvik interview Jonathan St. Clair about his 30-ballpark tour raising awareness for water safety and drowning prevention.
8 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
From North Dakota to Nashville: Tigirlily Gold
Belinda Jensen and Lee Valsvik interview country music duo Tigirlily Gold about their journey from North Dakota to Nashville and their ACM Award-winning success.
1 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Delta’s Longest-Tenured Female Captain
Belinda Jensen and Lee Valsvik interview Delta's longest-tenured female captain, Karen Ruth, about her pioneering career in commercial aviation.
25 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
From Undrafted to World Series Champion
Belinda Jensen and Lee Valsvik interview Dan Gladden, who shares his inspiring journey from an undrafted player to a World Series champion and storyteller.
18 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
The Empty Nest Transition No One Warns Moms About
Host Belinda Jensen interviews Sarah Colbert about navigating the challenging empty nest transition and reclaiming personal goals.
11 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
Finding Meaning Through Life’s Struggles
Social psychologist Kathleen Vohs discusses with hosts Belinda Jensen and Lee Valsvik how life's struggles and discomfort foster meaning and growth.
4 Aug 2026
Paul Douglas on Weather Innovation and Mentorship
I invited Paul Douglas on the podcast because he's been my mentor and played a pivotal role in my career. We discuss how our paths first crossed, why mentoring and giving back matter, and how Paul's remarkable career in weather and technology evolved. A serial entrepreneur, he has founded or co-founded several weather-tech companies that ended up playing a role in the movies Jurassic Park and TwisterBrought to you by: Continental Diamond (continentaldiamond.com/), By the Yard Outdoor Furniture (bytheyard.net), & Aquarius Home Services (www.aquariushomeservices.com/)
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28 Jul 2026
Cory Cove: KFAN, Initials Game & Poker
Cory Cove is one of the driving voices behind KFAN’s Power Trip Morning Show. He’s best known as the creator and host of the wildly popular Initials Game, a fast‑paced trivia showdown that’s become a Minnesota staple and even spun off into live events around the country and a board game. Beyond radio, Cory is also a dedicated poker player who’s taken his talents to the felt at the World Series of Poker, adding another competitive arena to his already eclectic resume.Brought to you by: Continental Diamond (continentaldiamond.com/), By the Yard Outdoor Furniture (bytheyard.net), & Aquarius Home Services (www.aquariushomeservices.com/)
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21 Jul 2026
30 Years at WCCO with Amelia Santaniello
Weathering Life isn't about having all the answers. It's about enjoying the forecast with the right company. Amelia Santaniello exemplifies this with all of the career moves she has made successfully and how she continues to challenge herself even as she starts her fourth decade of broadcasting. With her many talents, she creates a space where the people around her are lifted by her, and her bright light shines on them, and that includes her husband and co-anchor Frank Vascellaro. Through it all, they also raised three beautiful children, and that is not easy with the broadcast evening schedules. She talks about all of it and enlightens us on how she weathered the storms along the way.Brought to you by: Continental Diamond (continentaldiamond.com/), By the Yard Outdoor Furniture (bytheyard.net), & Aquarius Home Services (www.aquariushomeservices.com/)
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
14 Jul 2026
Restaurant Reinvention with Chef John Mihajlov
This week, we’re diving into the art of transition in the restaurant world—a business built on constant change. Chef John Mihajlov of Amplified Hospitality joins Bel and Lee to share lessons on resilience, evolution, opening and closing restaurants. Plus, the inside scoop on the new Mystic Lake Amphitheater and its food.Brought to you by: Continental Diamond (continentaldiamond.com/), By the Yard Outdoor Furniture (bytheyard.net), & Aquarius Home Services (www.aquariushomeservices.com/)
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
7 Jul 2026
Mark Rosen on Grace and Grief
Our guest this week is our friend Mark Rosen, a beloved fixture in Minnesota sports for nearly five decades — the longtime WCCO‑TV (Channel 4) Sports Anchor. Mark faced the heartbreaking passing of his wife, Denise, after her battle with a brain tumor — a deeply personal journey he shares with us honestly and with grace. Now, he’s navigating what he calls his “second chapter.” Brought to you by: Continental Diamond (continentaldiamond.com/) & By the Yard Outdoor Furniture (bytheyard.net)
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
30 Jun 2026
Eric Perkins: Betting on Himself
This week we sit down with Eric Perkins. Perk at Play Productions is his amazing company, and he tells us all about how he started it and how it has evolved. A proud dad of three amazing children, we chatted with him during Father’s Day week. Being a hands-on Dad was one of the reasons he made a huge change in his life right after the pandemic. We talk about his forecast moving forward and how it might seem risky to leave a career and go out on your own, but how rewarding it is once you make the decision.Brought to you by: Continental Diamond (continentaldiamond.com/) & By the Yard Outdoor Furniture (bytheyard.net)
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
23 Jun 2026
Dave Ryan: The Next Chapter
Dave Ryan has had a storied career in radio here in Minnesota. How did he land the job in the first place and how did he decide that this was the time to say goodbye to his loyal audience? What is his forecast looking forward, and how does someone transition out of such a rigid early morning minute-by-minute schedule that has been their life for 33 years? Brought to you by: Continental Diamond (continentaldiamond.com/)
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16 Jun 2026
Our First Forecast
Lee and Belinda have known each other for nearly 30 years. This is our very first episode! We decided to just sit down and talk — the same way we always do — so you can get a feel for the kind of conversations we want to bring you: honest, interesting, funny, and hopefully helpful. We realized that every time we catch up, we end up talking about the big changes and transitions in our lives — some we saw coming that we planned for, and many others that arrived completely unexpected. That’s why we called the show Weathering Life. It’s about forecasting the good, weathering the storms, and appreciating the sunny days when they come — while knowing that both are just part of life. Brought to you by: Continental Diamond (continentaldiamond.com/)
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Inside a recent episode
Katie Dorn: Finding Hope in the Heartbreak
Published 13 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And she read someplace. Because when it came back, it was everywhere. The cancer had spread to her. Bones, her liver, her lungs. And they gave her a terminal diagnosis. And at that time, the girls were seven, five, and three. All three were with her. And you also had four children of your own. Four children of your own. So she gets this dire diagnosis. She fought it. She actually lived three years. Wow. What a valiant effort after just getting a couple of months. Right. Yeah. They told her she had a couple of months. We had a lot of last trips, you know, because she did beat the odds, but she was determined. […]
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