tonight on Colorado.

Stories from studio 12.

She took the risk, built the business, and eventually sold part of the company she created.

Coming up, the lessons one Colorado entrepreneur says changed the way she thinks about money, growth and risk.

And a Colorado holiday honoring a woman whose impact stretched around the world.

Tonight, the story behind Mother Cabrini and the journey to Italy that revealed more about the faith that drove her mission.

Plus, she had the TV career, the family, the life so many people dream about.

Then Katie Trexler walked away from her dream job, believing it was the right thing to do for her family.

But she had no idea what that decision would cost her.

We've got her story and more about her new book and a musical surprise in studio from country singer and songwriter Peyton Porter.

You will not want to miss.

Stay with us for this and more right here on Colorado.

Stories from studio 12.

From the Five Points Media Center in the heart of Denver, Colorado.

This is studio 12.

Good evening.

I'm Bob Canady, and I'm Ryan Harrer.

Thank you for joining us.

This is Colorado stories from studio 12.

This week started off with a paid state holiday.

Cabrini day is the first Monday of October.

It's been that way since 2020, when Governor Polis signed a law making it so honoring, as he puts it, a woman who threw her love and compassion for everyone made a difference here in our state and around the world.

If you've driven I-70 in Golden, you've seen the signs for Mother Cabrini Shrine, or perhaps that massive, large white statue of Jesus on the top of the hill.

That image of Jesus was integral to the missionary work she led and the religious order she founded.

Our Kyle Dyer found out more about that motivation earlier this year, when she traveled with a group of Coloradans to Italy, where Mother Cabrini was born.

When a group of Coloradans entered a chapel in Italy where Mother Cabrini founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, they discovered her heart.

I've never seen anything like that before.

There is this human heart, and I had to hang on to that.

I didn't want to get up and leave the church.

I felt very close to her.

I feel like she was there because her heart was there.

I just felt like I was actually speaking to her.

Person.

The person.

I watched my sons and daughter in law walk up and kneel in front of it.

Very emotional.

Beautiful.

A feeling I can't even hardly describe.

I'm always touched by the fact of just being in the church that holds her heart.

It's very quiet, very peaceful.

And the reality of the heart is the most important gift.

Because she loved with a heart toward the Sacred Heart, which is that which flows everything flows the gift of her strength and her hopefulness and her spirit.

She found her mission in the heart of Jesus by helping people, by drawing them closer to the heart of Jesus.

And I think that's what we're all called to do when Mother Cabrini is missionary work.

Brought her to Colorado.

She bought land in Golden for orphan girls to enjoy in the summer, and she referred to the hillside as the mount of the Sacred Heart.

Mother Cabrini would certainly celebrate that.

For the 250th birthday of the United States, the U.S.

Conference of Catholic Bishops dedicated the nation to the Sacred Heart as a time for reflection.

The more I've gotten to know her, the more I admire her.

I mean, I love her, but there's this admiration for her that I have, especially the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

You know that just it comes down to that, that that love, you know.

Still that that theme of love that keeps coming up over and over again.

And on this trip, I feel like I bonded with her more.

For many on the pilgrimage, the journey to Italy led them not only closer to Mother Cabrini, but closer to the heart that guided her life.

to learn more about Mother Cabrini life and work and her impact here in Colorado.

We have a short documentary that Kyle has produced.

You can find it on our YouTube channel, the PBS passport app, and the PBS website, and perhaps drive up to Mother Cabrini Shrine.

It's open every day from seven inches the morning to 430 at night, and it's free to visit.

building a company from the ground up is hard, including getting people to believe in it and to invest in it.

But what happens when you finally build something valuable enough to sell?

Entrepreneur Paige Goss has lived all sides of that journey, from employee to founder and CEO to navigating the sale of part of the company she built.

In tonight's Business of Colorado segment.

Paige is sharing what she's learned about money, growth and risk and what it takes to really build a successful business in Colorado.

Our Frannie Matthews sat down with Paige at Colorado Startup Week.

Here's their conversation.

So here we are at Colorado Startup Week, and I can't think of a better person to talk to than Paige Goss, founder and CEO of Point Solutions Security.

Paige, you and I have known each other for a long time.

So tell us a little bit about your journey of becoming a founder.

Yeah.

And, Frannie, thank you so much for having me.

It's so good to see you today.

Yeah.

I mean, I started my first company here in Colorado, back in 2017.

Had a little bit of a journey getting here.

I've always been in technology.

I've always been in startups.

So I was with a firm out of Raleigh, North Carolina for a while, was kind of the number two.

And at one point I was like, I can do this, I can do this.

I'm just going to go for it.

What I didn't know at the time was I was going to move across the country, Raleigh to Denver, buy a house, buy a house.

Excuse me?

Sell a house, find out we were pregnant with twins and launch a company in a market.

I knew no one.

So I got here to Colorado, and.

Yeah, March of 17 started my first firm, Point Solutions group.

That was a defense contractor.

We were doing work for the Department of Defense, Air Force, Space Force, Intel Community doing electronic warfare.

So some really cool high end niche engineering.

And then the company I have now point solutions security cybersecurity firm.

We work with small medium sized businesses outsource VC.

So penetration testing red teams, all that kind of stuff.

So it has been a wild ride from not knowing anyone to now being an exited founder here in the market.

I sold Point Solutions Group back in February.

Yeah.

So you had you had two distinct companies.

Two companies, and you, sold one of them?

I did.

Tell us a little bit about that exit and what you learned from it.

Oh, I learned so much.

I will tell you, the best thing I ever did was create a network here in Colorado.

So it started from the very beginning of who do I know?

Who do I need to know?

Who should I talk to?

Yourself included.

Were tremendous in getting me integrated into this market.

And actually, that's how the sale started.

Is that the CEO of the company we ultimately sold to sent me a text message, and all it said was, would you sell Questionmark?

And from there I said, yes, but which company?

What are we talking about?

And it was a it was a really amazing experience.

The company was a tremendous fit for me culturally.

They were a good fit from, you know, expanding what I had, built.

And as far as a baseline, the customers, all of that, publicly traded company.

So that added an element, that I was not expecting.

Due diligence was wild.

I think at one point, one conversation I had with their legal team, legal team, I use that, very broadly and that there were 23 humans on the phone, 21 attorneys, me and my counsel.

And so I it was one of the craziest calls I've ever had in my life.

I had to take some really big, deep breaths after I got off that call.

But yeah, it was it was an amazing journey.

What matters to founders and potential buyers?

How do you position yourself to sell?

Right.

I hadn't really thought about it in a huge way, other than I knew I couldn't keep running two companies side by side.

And you is a journey.

And something that that I'm extremely, extremely grateful.

You know, you talk a little bit about that, running two companies and also scaling.

Scaling two companies.

I think you were on a panel about talking to people who have capital.

What have you learned from your journey on the capital, getting the capital and deciding on when you want to get some money in order to scale and when you want to, you know, kind of bootstrap it?

Yeah.

I mean, I ended up bootstrapping both companies.

I owned 95% when I, sold the first company I had, given 5% or sold 5% to employees of mine.

The other company I currently run, I own 100%.

And I actually decided not to take Capital One.

I'm stubborn as I'll get out and I don't want to be told what to do.

If anyone on, knows me, but really, it wasn't right for my business.

I wasn't it wasn't going to scale as fast as, you know, venture capital or private equity company would have expected or wanted.

And as I was growing in this market, capital for female founders is brutal.

And I was going to spend so much of my time, energy, brainpower on trying to get money versus running a company.

And I was like, I'm, I'm trying to run a really good company.

I say all the time is sexy.

And like, running good companies needs to be celebrated.

And so I sort of went against the grain and didn't raise capital.

But there is, a time and place for capital, private equity, venture capital, angels, right?

Friends and family, if you're fortunate.

I mean, those are things that I think we're getting better at here in Colorado.

But it's been a journey to to really figure out when to raise, when not to raise.

Do you do you not?

And on exit, you know, it was wild because I still had 95% of the company.

That's awesome.

Let's go back to the fact that you came into Colorado and started a business.

So sliding into home plate and you start to build this, the first thing you mentioned was you need a network.

Yes.

And you got to people that could help you as it in the ecosystem.

Tell me, what else do you think, Colorado needs to do or Denver needs to do to, to cultivate, more page stories?

Yeah.

I mean, we gotta we have to celebrate them first, right?

We have to make them very visible because I think the opposite is very visible.

Right.

The the opposite, has been visible for a long time.

And so if we want more founders, we want the ecosystem to grow.

We want women, people of color to, to really be celebrated here in order to build, I think, a better overall community and certainly foundation for entrepreneurship.

But Denver and Colorado, I think, need to do a much better job of supporting their own, of really, you know, I say this often, like, you can either help me find customers or you can give me money.

And if I find customers, I don't need your money.

And so building a base of customers, having a brand being recognized, we just don't do a great job of that here.

I'll never forget, I, I went after a deal with the city and County of Denver.

We were perfectly positioned to do it.

Small business primarily at that point, unknown.

It went to a very large company out of Toronto, Canada.

And that was my point of wait a second.

This doesn't make any sense.

This is a city and county of Denver.

You had a very qualified organization, probably more than just us here in the market, and it went to a big business and not even out of the state, out of the country.

And, and I that kind of gave me this, this baseline of we need to build a better ecosystem where we do business with each other, like we got to put our money where our mouth is.

And if we say that we want companies here to succeed, we got to support them by giving them an opportunity.

Well, that's workforce.

That's absolutely.

Yeah.

And and it turns, it turns a circle.

Right?

I build I sell that continues to grow.

I have, you know, additional funds that can build back into the the company that I'm running.

But also I've made 21 angel investments.

And so those investments hopefully facilitate this community to grow and to build and to keep thriving.

Like I am bullish about this, give me customers or give me money.

And I don't mean give me.

Right.

That's a very, bold statement, but really help me in a way that I can continue to grow the business.

It benefits everyone.

Well, you just described a circular economy.

Absolutely, absolutely.

Paige, thank you so much.

I know that you are very busy here at Startup Week.

I really appreciate you coming in and joining us and, telling us a little bit about your journey.

Absolutely.

Thank you so much for having me.

Funding for the business of Colorado is provided in part by Collegiate Peaks Bank, Colorado Business Roundtable and Ibotta.

And for the generous support of viewers like you.

Thank you.

To learn more, visit PBS 12.org.

Make sure to tune in to our show in the coming weeks, as we will continue to feature more of Franny's interviews from Colorado Startup Week and you can find all of these interviews on our website and our YouTube channel, as well.

Katie Trexler used to start her day telling people what they needed to know before they started theirs.

She was my competitor for years as a fellow morning anchor here in Denver.

Confidence, smart, connected to people.

And dare I use the word that seems to follow morning news anchors everywhere.

Perky.

But behind that bright television persona was a woman really wrestling with some of her very difficult questions in her life about career and balancing that with motherhood, marriage, and ultimately her identity.

And now Katie is telling that story in her memoir, a deeply personal look at what happened when the life she had imagined didn't quite play out the way she did expected.

And the title says a lot.

What do I tell my daughter?

Today, Katie is opening up about her journey and answering some of the questions that I have after reading your book.

Hello, Katie.

It's good to see you.

Yes.

Thank you.

I'm here, all perky and ready to go.

Right.

I had the same word.

I know it's like a horrible word, but it could be called different things, too.

Which is why we did morning news.

Right, exactly.

So we lived very parallel lives for very for a long time.

You were the morning anchor at channel seven.

I was literally across the street the morning.

The anchor at channel nine.

So we were on the air at the same time for all those years.

And I woke up in the middle night for 20 years.

And I know people don't realize how hard those weird hours are, especially when you're raising your family.

You just don't know unless you do it at 100%.

I mean, you just what?

We just plug away and we just do it because that's what we do as moms.

And it's your job.

So the morning for the morning show, I would have to wake up around to 215, but I what I loved about it is that I was done at noon and so I could rush home.

And then I had this quality time with my twins.

I have boy girl twins.

And so I did that morning show.

I didn't do it for 20 years.

That's a lot.

I did it for about seven years total.

And then when they were about five years old, my then husband got this great job opportunity that was out of state that we thought was going to set us up financially for years to come, and he had followed me to Detroit for my job.

And so I thought, okay, well, maybe this is the time that I take a break while my kids are young before they go into kindergarten and then get back in later.

So I made this difficult decision to leave the job.

I loved my home, Denver is home, and support him and move to Florida and support the family.

So I really thought that that was a good decision for me, and I don't think I realized the consequences of that choice until down the road, and it really impacted my identity, my sense of self, and also my earning power, which is really big.

That move was consequential and that's a lot of what you write in the book.

And I must admit, when I read the book, I was telling some friends about what how you felt and what you went through, and I kind of felt like I was talking behind your back.

But that's what you want people to know about those.

The hard times, the hardships that you overcame is what you want to.

People know it's so honest.

Why did you decide to put this on paper?

Well, I don't think my story is unique.

You know, there are all kinds of different statistics out there, but I think the number is something like 65% of women adjust their career for their family in some way.

And whether that is taking a step back from a high profile, demanding job like mine, or adjusting it with your hours or completely switching professions or whatever you do.

And I don't think we talk enough about how hard that is.

So many women make this sacrifice, and sometimes we do it because we think we should.

Not necessarily because it's what we want to do.

So when I was growing up, I, I knew I wanted to be in TV news when I was about nine years old, and it was a dream of mine.

And I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that I would have left my career and not get back in.

And the circumstances were just kind of weird.

The job in Florida kind of blew up for my husband, and we ended up staying here in Denver.

It's a quirky set of circumstances, but by that time it was, you know, several weeks, months later and my job was long gone.

Right.

And as you know, jobs and news are hard to come by, especially in Denver, which is a very competitive market.

So there wasn't an opportunity for me to get back in, let alone this weird story that we were essentially homeless because we bought a home in Florida and sold our home here.

So we were living with my parents.

I mean, it's great just a bizarre.

Oh, yes.

Completely.

It was wonderful to be with Nana and pop up for a while, but, it meant that it was harder for me to get back in.

Yeah.

You write though a lot about how the morning hours were hard.

I mean, when you.

No one knows what to expect with the morning show hours, but when you were becoming a mother to two right away, did you have any expectations about what it was going to be like, especially waking up at 230 in the morning?

I just, you know, I didn't think it was going to be that bad.

I mean, when you're driven and you love your work.

To me, it was the best of both worlds.

I really thought, I'm one of those lucky women who has it all.

I have this great job that I've always dreamed of.

I get to do this while my kids are sleeping halfway through it, and then have this quality time with them, so I didn't really mind that I was a zombie and exhausted because I wanted both.

I wanted to have that perfect career, and I wanted to have that perfect family life and to spend that quality time with my kids.

And that's part of the reason then, that when everything blew up, I made the decision and there weren't jobs in TV news.

But I also made a decision to reinvent myself, go into public relations and have, a career that was a little bit more flexible.

Yes.

I wouldn't have people telling me, you can't go to the Mothers Day, right?

Because, you know, you have to be on the 11:00 am anchoring that show.

So, I made that choice then to adjust my career path for my family, and I did that willingly.

But that doesn't mean that it wasn't difficult.

And so full circle back to what you were saying.

I think that there are so many women who give up huge parts of ourselves for our family.

It's not to say that one is right or one is wrong, it's that there are two sides of us.

My heart is a career driven, ambitious person and a really loving, caring mom.

And both of those were at odds.

And that tug of war at times.

And that's hard to reconcile.

And it's also, I think, hard to be honest about it because so many people, when they read this, they say, wow, you're saying what I felt you are putting to words what I experienced.

But people don't talk about it enough.

And I think there is this, expectation that we as women are supposed to be so poised, polished and have it all together and don't talk about how hard it can be.

What is your daughter think about this book that you wrote this book with her in mind?

Yeah.

And that she is now reading stories that she may not remember from when she was a little girl.

Yeah, well, so my daughter and my son.

Yeah, have been my biggest cheerleaders.

Good roots.

Oh, good.

They recognize we have a very close relationship.

And they also recognize that, I did sacrifice some things for them.

And we've had many conversations about.

Look, just because this was my experience doesn't mean it's going to be your experience.

And so they're both very open to having the discussions.

And they both also recognize when they get older and they're ready for that kind of thing.

They both want to find a partner a good partner who is going to support them as well.

The little anecdotes that I have at the end of every chapter for Kylie, the little life lesson there really, some are so simple and practical and others are pretty deep.

And I think that Kylie, my daughter and my son have both taken them to heart.

They're very, I think, thoughtful ideas about how to live your life as a good, kind, happy person.

And, how to then nurture yourself while you're taking care of other people.

At the same time, you also wrestled with what you saw as society's perception of motherhood.

I'm going to hand you this.

Yeah, because you have the book open.

I want you to read this quote.

It's the one in italics here.

It starts with our society.

Okay.

We're supposed to be the best moms possible and raise perfect human beings, even though those of us who stay at home are dumped into a separate, subpar category.

Wow.

So you were thinking about that?

All that, and you still feel that way?

I know, I know, I know, I still don't feel that way.

But when you are in the middle of this life transition, it's it is hard to not judge ourselves when we feel we are being judged by others.

It is hard to be real and honest and say things.

You know, I had a couple of book coaches and one of my book coaches was really tough.

She's like, you're not being honest here.

You need to dive deeper into those emotions.

And so I go back and rewrite it is and it's, oh my gosh, you just ripped apart your insides at time.

But that is the point of of memoir.

You know, it is being real and honest.

And people who know me as a person know that if I am anything, it is that I am real and honest and authentic.

And so I was okay putting that to paper, because I do believe a lot of people are going to relate to it and see themselves in the story and, and appreciate that.

It's exciting to be putting a book out into the world.

I mean, as a journalist, I knew I was going to write a book someday.

Okay.

Yeah, just deep and deep in my heart.

I knew I had a book in me, and so that's exciting.

It's a little scary because you don't know what becomes of it, you know?

And, Yeah.

So.

Well, I saw one of your posts.

You said your debut memoir.

So does that mean there'll be a what do I tell my son maybe.

Coming up, I've had people suggest to me that I should and and you know, I think well, that should I, I don't know.

And on one hand I feel like that should be also a man sharing their stories or the father figure.

But you guys have a special relationship.

We do.

Or together.

We still do, right?

We still do.

Yeah.

I do think that there is a lot of pressure put on, not just young men.

I mean, the messages that are being, you know, that are flying at these young men these days and the mental health issues that a lot of men, no matter their age, face, are very real.

And I think some of that comes from the pressure of being the primary, you know, provider and the breadwinner.

And that kind of thing.

And so, yeah, I think that there is an opportunity to have some of those discussions.

I don't know if I'll be that person.

I have an idea.

What about if it's what my son told me because he said something to you that is forever grained in your heart, and you write about that?

Yeah.

There's a chapter where he says, we've just had this really wonderful evening of hanging out, and he was like ten, and I think he was about ten.

Yeah.

And I'm tucking him in, tell him how much I love him.

And he says, hey, mom, I might get like a little teary eyed as I as I say it, because it just still gets me.

And he says, it's nice to see you smile again.

And it just, I was like, what do you mean?

I mean, I'm, I'm perky, you know, I'm I'm happy, you know?

Why are you saying that?

You don't see me smile a lot.

And he's like, well, you know, I know you're happy, but you used to smile a lot more.

And I think that that was that recognition of maybe I hadn't been as honest with myself about what I needed as an individual to feel whole and complete.

And, anyway, it was very sweet of him, and I have a lot to be grateful for.

I am, remarried to a wonderful man I knew when I was in junior high in high school.

So funny.

That's great.

And I've got, you know, these healthy, happy kids.

So.

Yeah.

And I feel like I'm doing an important job here.

Important work of just trying to have more, women talk about women and men.

Yeah, talk about the challenges that they face so they can all feel happy and complete.

Because I think happier women, happier men, make happier parents.

Happier couples.

Yeah.

More families more to provide, to give out to the community 100% right.

100%.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, I'm so glad and so proud of you know, I think I see Katie at one particular Super Bowl party every year, and you've been telling me for years you've been working on it.

So thank you for sharing and being so honest.

I always find you too, as being a curious.

You were a very curious journalist, which I feel like there aren't enough of us.

Yes, but to take that curiosity and look inward and to put it out there.

Yeah, that's pretty cool.

So congratulations.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Touches some people.

So thank you.

Yes, again, Katie Trexler.

What do I tell my daughter?

I think there's a second book in you, girl.

Thank you.

Thanks for joining me.

Thanks, guys.

And now, for the love of music, we have a special performance for you tonight.

Country singer songwriter Peyton Porter stopped by the PBS 12 studios on Friday ahead of her concert at Globe Hall in Denver.

She gave us an exclusive acoustical performance of her new song, Always Colorado.

Peyton also shared how spending her summer living and performing in Estes Park helped inspire the song.

Here's more with Peyton.

I'm Peyton Porter and I'm a songwriter and artist.

As a songwriter, as any creative, you're just kind of trying to tune in to the right station at the right time for the creativity to come down from wherever the source of that is.

And in Nashville, the traditional songwriting job, it's like a 9 to 5 job.

So you're showing up every day, and if you don't have an idea, someone else does and you're collaborating with people and a lot of that can get less inspired and more, it's less writing from your heart, more writing from your head, which is a different skill set entirely.

But when when you can do both, it's a really special day.

So like always Colorado, that one came out of the blue.

That is a gift from the universe.

I actually came out to Colorado for the summer.

I got I've been in Nashville for ten years and I needed a break.

And so I came out to stay with a friend who is camping in Estes Park and just stay in the RV and gig and make money playing music and, get re-inspired about why I write songs.

And so that's what I was doing.

And then I flew back to Nashville and was hanging out with some friends and got involved with somebody I didn't expect to be involved with, and it got exciting, and I thought I messed it up.

And they're like, well, if I can't see you in Nashville, there's always Colorado.

And I just pinged it as, man, that would be a really cool song idea.

And then life was lived in.

It had the perfect time to exhale itself.

And even when I wrote that one, I was at home and I was in the dumps and I just heard the top of the chorus, and I just went down to the basement and started just being ready to receive the idea, just because I was like, please text me back and posted it on the internet.

And they saw it, but so did thousands of people.

And and then it was exciting because I had to rush to finish the song.

I got a few texts that I can't do that.

It works.

And it's three 3535 is my lucky number.

That's crazy.

Rock on.

And the songs belong to everyone else once you put them out.

And it's beautiful.

Even with Always Colorado, it's about a romantic relationship.

But these girls were using it for long distance friendship and I'm like, oh, that's so cool.

I would have never thought about it being that.

And, I love when people use my stuff.

I, me, I mean, I make music to connect with people.

So very chill, very casual.

John Mayer played my song on his radio station and said my name twice.

Not that I'm counting, but some songs have to come out in the month they are released.

It is now September 8th, and Porter has released a song that is the most September of all songs.

It's called Always Colorado and when you hear it, you'll understand.

Some songs are seasonal because this one is not a July song.

This one is about touch football in the park, falling into a pile of crunchy leaves.

Front door is open, but the glass door is closed.

You got condensation on the glass.

Halloween's coming soon.

That's all.

In this song.

It's always Colorado.

It's by Peyton Porter.

It's part of new music.

Friday, Tuesday.

Yes.

We're ahead.

In fact, he called Always Colorado the most September song of all time.

Of all songs.

So that's insane.

I love the mountains, so I'm happy that Colorado is loving this song, because it gives me an excuse to come here as often as I want to.

And the more people listening to it, like Denver's, the higher streaming city.

And so I'm really pumped to play it in Denver for the first time and like, see who shows up and get to chat about it and hopefully come back forever and always and play Red Rock, trip down the road like for the rest of my life.

This is called Always Colorado.

I blew through the Midwest just like stormy weather.

Searching for some air where I could breathe I broke down in a postcard town just north of Denver.

Guess you can outrun someone who's ever gray.

And I'll see you in the dark.

Just love the stars up in the sky.

Even though there's nothing colder than the way we said goodbye.

There's always Colorado for you.

Get out of Tennessee.

Hop a plane up train hop a. It's been.

And you ever think of me.

It's a long shot, baby I know you got better things to do.

And I'm watching a time plane.

You'll change your mind after what I put us through.

But only the light on.

Just in case.

And if you never move on.

There's always Colorado.

Oh, Colorado.

Bye bye.

Now, the first of all.

The leaves are changing and falling off the tree in your front yard.

A better friend, goofs, made some weekend plans.

And you'll pre-game and play and mow down on your way out to the ball.

And I know there's nothing better than October in the south.

And I gave you every reason not to want to chase me down.

But there's always Colorado.

If you get out of Tennessee, a plane hop train up a west bound gray hand.

You ever think of me?

It's a long shot, baby.

I know you got better things to do.

And I'm wasting my time.

Praying you'll change your mind after what I put us through.

But I'll leave a light on just in case.

If you never move on.

There's always Colorado.

Oh oh, Colorado.

And there's always Colorado.

If I'm ever on your mom.

No matter where the wind blows.

You're always on mine.

I'll meet you in smoky sleep.

My rocky mountain high I'll hop a plane, hop a train.

If you call my name tonight.

Because there's always Colorado.

There's always Colorado.

If you get out of Tennessee, have a plane hop train.

I've always been Greyhound.

You ever think of me?

It's a long shot, baby.

I know you've got better things to do.

And I'm wasting my time.

Praying you'll change your mind after what I put us through.

But I'll leave a light on just in case.

And if you never move on.

Is always Colorado.

Oh oh, Colorado.

Who?

Who?

Thank you, thank you.

Peyton stuck around and played a few other songs for our cameras, including a preview of a new song that won't be released until the end of the month.

We'll have all of that for you in the weeks ahead, along with a special new episode of sounds on 29th.

In the meantime, if you want to hear Always Colorado or any of her other songs, you can stream them on all the major music services, and you can watch this performance again and again on our YouTube channel.

Hello, Colorado!

Every week as we brainstorm topics for the upcoming episode of Colorado Inside Out, the panelists suggest ideas.

And this week we had one panelist who insisted we talk about one thing in particular.

Here's listen to our conversation.

The drug landscape seems to be getting harder to keep up with here in Colorado.

Contaminated marijuana vape cartridges were sold at more than 400 stores on college campuses.

Warnings are circulating about a new synthetic opioid, reportedly ten times more potent than fentanyl.

Now the warning circulated in the past week at CSU, but there's no indication that this drug has reached Colorado yet.

Yeah, I should say.

And then the death of an 18 year old Colorado student at the University of Mississippi has put another substance kratom, in the spotlight.

That herb is legal for those over 21 to buy here in Colorado, although the state has recently added some regulations around it.

It is illegal, though, in other states, including Mississippi, where police have made arrests in connection with the case.

And the death of Aydan Hamilton, who is from Englewood, was from Englewood who went to Cherry Creek.

Adam, when you look at all of this, what concerns you the most?

I a how complicated the picture is.

So the CDC has noted that, you know, across the country we've seen national overdose deaths actually go down.

Last year in Colorado we saw a 10% increase in overdose deaths.

We are also seeing a ballot measure coming to voters around fentanyl specific penalties.

But to me, it's always access to treatment, right.

For people.

And we're talking about different people.

You have the people who experiment with kratom or a drug, and they're young and they make a mistake and they can cost them their life.

Or you have people who become addicted.

And I know many people have actually relapsed on them after being sober for years from other substances.

So the question for me is always, how do we address, addiction issues at large?

How do we penalize, at times, the system and not the person?

I think we have a long history of criminalizing the addict, as opposed to addressing a system that has maybe failed that person.

But when we have these introduction of new drugs like kratom, and we had this with salvia 20 years ago and other substances, and they can come to a gas station and kids will go in and buy it.

It's a scary time, for young people.

And so, I don't know what the solution is other than I'm glad we're talking about it.

Yeah, yeah.

You have young people in your house.

Young kids.

I do, mine are young enough that, honestly, the gas station drugs were not even on my radar.

So, thank you for the terrifying wake up call, but, on this one, you know, I feel like frequently I'm talking about too many regulations.

I feel like this is one where I see a real opportunity for the state to step in with more regulations.

It seems wild to me that we're talking about, you know, in the city of Denver, we've prohibited flavored tobacco, which is illegal product.

But the idea that you can walk into that same gas station and not purchase flavored tobacco, but you could purchase one of these other products that are completely unregulated and untested just over the counter.

It seems like there's a mismatch between how we are approaching substances that needs to be right it and it needs to be considered because we talk all the time at this table about regulations for so many other things.

Yeah.

Patty.

Well, and in fact, that contaminated marijuana product should have been caught.

There were regulations for it, but they weren't followed.

It's as you said, it's it's split, it's addiction.

And it's education.

So you think about the college students or high school students or maybe even younger.

How do you educate them?

Just not of the dangerous that are out there because you think about what goes on with kratom.

If you mix things with kratom, it can be fatal or kratom itself, depending on how you consume it.

You look at ketamine that we were talking about, Cornell University and what's going on with that.

And I think the fentanyl bill that is out there is not the solution right now.

The measure, because it is to one size, doesn't fit all.

You're talking about people who might be trying something for the first time, who need to be educated, or people who are addicted, who need a different kind of help.

But certainly anyone who is selling illegal drugs should be pursued to the highest extent of the law.

And that bill talks a lot about the punishments, right?

The punishments.

And it's just an effects possession too.

And again, you're having some people who might be kids, who might be experimenting, who might just have been given something, and should that same punish, should they get the same punishment as someone who's selling?

I wonder if that will pass, because people see the word fentanyl and be like, oh, they're they're frightened as they should be because it can be so dangerous for people actually talked about this at the state Capitol multiple times.

And the question is often, what is the amount someone needs to have in possession to be considered the potential for sale?

And it's a it's a complicated issue.

Right.

And people have varying opinions.

But I'm curious to see what voters think.

So we're talking about this in part because Alton earlier this week was like we need to talk about these gas station drugs.

And it's very much on your radar.

So thank you for bringing this to the table.

Sure thing.

And as always I like to, you know, always disclose my client relationship with one Chance to Grow Up, which formed after marijuana was first legalized here.

And think about, you know, even the nomenclature we're using now, a lot of people want to keep talking about freedom as a leave, but think in terms of the synthetics, like 708.

We have actually had two people in Yampa County die from just taking 708, which is a synthetic kratom.

And so one of the things that is going on with this, and this is where the term gas street station drugs comes from, these are products that are found outside to your point, the regulated dispensary model.

And so when they're available in corner stores and vape and smoke shops and stuff, anyone of any age can get their hands on them.

And like I've said from day one, as far as the work, with one chance goes, we are not trying to relitigate any kind of legalization, but the protection of kids has got to start coming to the forefront, and there also needs to be you know, just some protection of the rights of the many.

Did you all see that recently, the Sam Geary branch of the Denver Public Library had to be shut down because someone had a fentanyl mixed, something that caused a hazmat situation.

We really have got to start getting our hands around this issue.

And I too, like Carly, I was not aware that convenience stores sold all this stuff.

And I was telling you beforehand, I remember getting no nos during finals, you know, the convenience store around the corner.

And probably back then that was considered bad right.

Not good for us.

But this, it's scary what's in the stores now.

It's very scary.

So keep an eye out.

There's going to be some things going on both locally and federally when it comes to these issues.

So thank you.

We spoke about a lot of other issues this week, including some of the highs and the lows that we've witnessed.

So catch our entire show on our YouTube channel on the PBS passport app, or on PBS Twelve's website, or listen to the conversation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

This Friday brings a brand new show with four different insiders addressing four different topics.

So join us here on Friday at 8:00.

The wizarding world has landed in Denver.

And Harry Potter fans can now step right into the magic.

The Harry Potter exhibition features interactive experiences, iconic costumes and props that bring the stories to life.

PBS Twelve's Erica McLarty wanted to see what all the wonder was about, but she did not go alone.

She brought along her stepdaughter, Scarlett, one of the biggest Harry Potter fans she knows.

So did the exhibition live up to the hype?

Erica and Scarlett take us inside for the family beat.

Oh.

If you've been feeling a little bit of magic in the air lately, it's because Harry Potter has come to Denver.

And of course, our family had to check it out.

Full disclosure I actually don't know anything really about Harry Potter, but that's why I brought my stepdaughter Scarlett, because she is a huge fan and she's going to lead the way.

Let's go.

This is the Chamber of Secrets room where Harry had to defeat a basilisk, a giant snake, in order to save the school.

And it's my favorite book.

This is just like in the movie where Harry casts his stag in order to save himself from the Dementors.

With serious.

And within about 30s, I realize I've made the right decision.

I may not know Harry Potter, but I know when my stepdaughter is in her element.

They have the sword of Godric.

They're from North, the diadem of Rowena, Raven Claw, the cup of Helga, Hufflepuff, and the necklace of cells are Slytherin, three of which are vortex proxies and one of which was used to defeat Horcruxes.

Why are there so many wands?

Am I winning?

I have a family of muggles, and it's kind of hard because they don't know anything.

And I have to explain most of the things here.

Do you understand anything about Harry Potter?

Do you still like it?

What do you like about the exhibit?

Well, I think it's fun to do the interactions on the screens.

Yeah, and the potion one is really fun.

Harry knows this too well, I know Harry Potter.

The exhibition is the most extensive, most complete exhibition.

That's ever toured the world.

And now it's right here in Denver.

This features over 100 costumes and props from the movies, and as you walk through this exhibition, it's very experiential.

You'll feel like you're in the movie.

You'll walk into the Great Hall.

You'll see the thousands of candles floating above you.

You'll brew a potion pot of mandrake.

You play Quidditch.

It's like you're in the film yourself.

And that's the thing about this exhibit.

I'm having fun seeing all the cool rooms and artifacts.

But for true Harry Potter fans, they are seeing places they have known for years.

This is Hagrid's hut where Hagrid lives most of the movie, and it's even based on every single part in the movie.

His hut is decorated really well and filled with like a warm kind of glow.

This is the herbology classroom.

It's so cool because every detail looks like in the movie, especially with like the stained glass called Mandrake.

You can see his face.

This is the cupboard under the stairs where Harry lived most of his life, because his aunt and uncle did not like him and decided to put him under the stairs.

And this would be his bedroom.

Oh, okay.

I'm going in.

You know, even though this exhibition features objects from the films, things behind glass, you feel like you're in the movies.

This is not a museum experience.

This is a full movie experience.

If you know the Harry Potter story, you'll love this.

If you're a casual fan, you'll notice things that you know.

If you're a super fan, of course, you're going to love the details, the behind the scenes, and before you even start exploring, you have to know where you belong.

As we know, the sorting Hat really determines your house and then you walk these different directions.

Ravenclaw.

Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Slytherin.

And as you make your way through the exhibition, you're in competition with the other houses.

At the end of the experience, there's a scoreboard that registers the scores from that day.

So not only are you experiencing the films, you're still in competition with the other houses as you make your way through.

This is my house, Ravenclaw, and I'm a reader in the cloud because I took the test like so many times and every single time it would be Ravenclaw.

What do you think I am?

I would say you would be a Gryffindor.

And why?

Because you're so outgoing and brave.

Okay, Gryffindor.

Where it is.

When you watch the movies, it's fun to step back and eat your popcorn.

But this is stepping into the movies.

This is being part of the movies.

You've got things you can touch.

You got things you can feel.

Things you can do.

You trace over the symbol to cast your own patronus.

Like so.

And my patronus is a stag.

You know, there's so many things to do.

You can climb up into Hagrid's big chair, walk through the forbidden forest through a potion, repot a mandrake.

And as you're in that gallery, you'll see the Nimbus 2000 Harry Potter's broom.

And then you'll pick up a colorful ball yourself and play Quidditch with your friends and people you don't even know.

Remember, it's a competition.

As you walk through the experience.

So far, my favorite thing would probably be the Defense Against the Dark Arts Room because it was my favorite class.

Like reading the books and it was my favorite class watching the movies and just to see it, like with all the details and then like having the interactions, which is so cool.

And that's when I start to realize this is definitely not just an exhibition.

This world means something to her.

I've loved Harry Potter since I was seven, ever since my mom introduced me to Harry Potter and showed me all the books, the movies, everything.

And it was just so cool.

He has to find all the Horcruxes in order to defeat Lord Voldemort.

And this one is from the house of Ravenclaw.

I have a wand based off of this, and it's my favorite one.

There are some places even a Harry Potter novice like me can appreciate.

It just brings out the creativity of reading the books.

While reading the books, I thought, how could they make it like forward and more like outgoing and like more showing the story and then when they showed like the movies and then like the exhibit, I was like, this is how they show it.

This is how they showed, like everything that they bring into the books.

So whether you are a huge, lifelong Harry Potter fan or discovering the world for the very first time, this exhibit has something for everyone.

For PBS 12, I'm Erica McGarity.

We'll see you at platform 9 in 3 quarters.

And if you're like Erica and still don't know your Hogwarts house from your muggles, just bring a Harry Potter fan with you.

Good idea.

For more information, you can check out Harry Potter exhibition.com.

And if you're looking for more ways to have fun with the family here in Colorado, check out all of Erica's Family Beat stories on our YouTube channel.

Our next story is part of a special collection created by students in our Creator Academy internship program here at PBS 12.

For their final project, these young creators were asked to find a local nonprofit with a story to tell, but without the resources to tell it.

So they decided to give back.

Using their skills to bring that story to life.

Here is a Connor Johnson and his story on Grow Girl Organics.

Hi.

The people call me Carnaby Johnson and I'm an entertainer.

I love to bring a laugh, and it's important to me to try to help people come together.

In our digitized world, I believe sometimes we miss the community and stories that actually define our lives, which is why I'm very excited to introduce these stories my colleagues and I put together about the communities across Colorado.

For my final project, I'm delighted to bring something near and dear to my heart, which is the Grow Girl Organics Community Farm in Arvada.

Building and seeing my grandmothers turn an empty plot of land into this community that brings healthy food to people across Colorado.

It's truly been one of the most amazing things I've ever had the privilege to see.

Let's take a look.

My name is Denise Erie and I am the owner of Grow Girl Organics.

This is supposed to be my retirement, but I don't know how that's working.

People buy a share of the farm, and for 20 weeks or 21 weeks, we grow vegetables for them.

So they come every week and pick up vegetables.

People are usually very happy with the CSA because they've learned so much about food.

When you do a, I'm Veronica doll, and I am the manager of the farm here at Grow Girl.

I kind of manage the day to day operations and all the different departments, from harvesting to packing and washing to planting and seeding.

It's true that that beer market should heat it up so that it doesn't matter.

The.

That was my biggest concern.

It's a huge conglomerate of things and a lot of planning.

So that's the beginning of the season.

We're on municipal water supply, and water is the most expensive thing that I pay for except for payroll.

But water probably cost me more than payroll.

I can use up to 120,000 gallons a month.

So we share water with the property that we're on, which is a church.

And so we have to drag hoses all over the farm at the beginning of the season until we do get access to our irrigation water supply.

It's a lot of hard work.

I fell in love with farming and agriculture.

The first year I came up here, and I haven't really been able to stop coming back.

And we're trying to create habitats for microbial growth.

So we do protozoan infusions, we do compost teas and extracts.

We have we have the shack, we call it the microbe shack.

And that's where we grow all of our own microbes.

We also have, a microscope so that we've all been taught how to look for things in the soil and in our infusions to make sure that we're actually putting microbes into the soil.

Things are being able to grow my own food, being able to supply my community with wholesome food.

Broccoli.

Cabbage.

Cauliflower.

Corn.

Herbs.

Kohlrabi.

Beets.

Carrots.

Lettuce.

Greens.

Okra.

Rhubarb.

Fruit.

Melons.

Beans.

Fava beans.

All squashes.

Winter and summer.

Edamame.

Tomatoes.

Peppers.

It's a lot going on, and I want to make this the most beautiful little piece of land that is in our radish.

God put a little thing in my heart and told me that I needed to start this.

So my grandparents, my grandmother taught me how to do this.

Every year they would come and get me.

I was raised in Florida and they lived in Michigan, and they'd come and get me, like in May.

And we drove to Michigan and I'd spend the whole summers with them.

And she had a huge lot of like a whole another lot next to her house.

And that's where I learned how to grow.

I mean, shucking beans and snapping them and doing all that stuff.

And she's taught me what a kohlrabi was, and it's my favorite vegetable now.

And so that's why I do that.

And nothing's better than when you plant a seed and you see that little green pop up out of the soil.

It just makes me smile.

That just makes me feel good.

We hope tonight's stories inspired you to be informed, explore and connect with the people and communities around you.

You can watch all of these stories again, plus more of our Colorado storytelling on our YouTube channel or at PBS 12.org.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Ryan Hare and I'm Barzee Kanani.

Have a great week.