So Much More, A Mall of America® Podcast

Ep. 79: 'ACTIVATE' Play at MOA

Activate is a new interactive experience at Mall of America where guests (ages 6 and older) become players in their own video games.  With 13 different rooms, guests can customize their experience and work alone or in groups to solve puzzles, shoot hoops, dodge laser beams and jump, roll around and play, get silly and have fun!
2:13:  What is Activate
6:13:  Come prepared …it’s a workout in disguise so bring tennis shoes, comfortable clothes and water!
7:50:  Each room is a different game.  In ‘PRESS’ guests run around and match colors and patterns by pressing buttons.
10:03:  MEGA GRID:  This room senses where you are stepping.  It’s like playing Floor is Lava.
14:52:  Activate is for school groups, dates, bachelor and bachelorette parties, families…anyone who wants to be active and have fun!
19:00:  HOOPS:  In this room guests answer trivia questions and shoot the basket they believe is the correct answer.
20:25:  LASER ROOM:  This is a fan favorite!  Half the room is laser blasting games and the other half guests dodge lasers amongst and bit of haze.
*Activate is located on the 3rd floor, East side of Mall of America.  www.playactivate.com/mallofamerica
 
Guests:  Blake Telshaw, Activate Mall of America store manager.
Hosts:  Dan Jasper, Chris Grap and Sara Johnson
Presented by Bloomington Minnesota Travel and Tourism the official destination marketing organization for the city of Bloomington, Minn.

Ep. 78: MN Aurora FC. For Community, By Community.

Minnesota Aurora FC is a women-led, community-owned, pre-professional soccer club playing in the USL W League. The Aurora joins a long tradition and rich culture of competitive Minnesota sports. With a goal of transforming outcomes for girls, teams, women, and communities the team remains focused on core values. Guests, Andrea Yoch, co-founder and board member at MN Aurora and MacKenzie Langdok, professional soccer player and former team member at MN Aurora share their stories and journey.
1:17 Yoch’s professional journey in sports including the first MN Super Bowl in 19923:30 Wildly running to meet Brad Paisley through Nickelodeon Universe5:00 The challenge of starting a brand-new sports franchise/team7:00 Langdok shares her love of soccer from age four all the way to the professional ranks9:45 What it means to be a role model for younger athletes13:00 The real-life experience of playing in a world-class stadium with corporate sponsors14:30 As a player, fan engagement is so encouraging and motivating17:00 Funded by the community, fans can still become a shareholder of the MN Aurora21:00 How to get tickets for the upcoming season24:45 Building a cherished brand with amazing merchandise27:30 Words of advice to young, aspiring women in the world of sports
Guests: Andrea Yoch, co-founder, board member, Chair, and Investor Relations at Minnesota Aurora FC; MacKenzie Langdok, professional soccer player, former player with Minnesota Aurora FC
Hosts:  Jill Renslow, Daniel Jasper
Presented by Bloomington Minnesota Travel and Tourism the official destination marketing organization for the city of Bloomington, Minn.

Ep. 77: The Vision Behind the Mall Revisited

Happy New Year! While our So Much More crew is taking a well-deserved break for the holidays, we’re excited to take you back to where this podcastand Mall of Americabegan. Today we are resharing our second episode that ever aired, and it is an inspiring conversation with John Ghermezian. In this special episode, John dives deep into the rich history and bold vision that brought Mall of America to life.
This rebroadcast of Episode 2: The Vision Behind the Mall originally aired on July 27, 2023. Topics included the motivation behind building the most famous mall in the nation, and how the Ghermezian family vision has been steadfast over the past three decades.
So, as you kick off a year full of possibilities, remember… dreams really can come true. Enjoy this special episode replay and here’s to an incredible year ahead!
Guests: John Ghermezian, Triple Five Corporation
Hosts:  Jill Renslow, Daniel Jasper
Presented by Bloomington Minnesota Travel and Tourism the official destination marketing organization for the city of Bloomington, Minn.

Ep. 76: L.L. Bean Conversation Revisited

Our So Much More crew is taking a well-deserved break for the holidays. But we’re bringing back a fan favorite episode: Episode 28, featuring an inspiring conversation with the President and CEO of L.L. Bean, Stephen Smith, and the Mall of America store manager, Guy Booth.
Winter is just getting started, and let’s face it…Minnesota cold is no joke. So who better to learn from than the experts at L.L. Bean? Whether you are braving the elements or cozying up indoors, this episode is packed with insights, warmth, and a whole lot of winter wisdom.
Enjoy this special episode replay, and from all of us here at So Much More, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a season filled with joy!
To learn more about L.L. Bean at Mall of America visit https://mallofamerica.com/directory/llbean. 
Guests: Stephen Smith, President and CEO at L.L. Bean; Guy Booth, L.L. Bean Store Manager
Hosts:  Jill Renslow, Daniel Jasper
Presented by Bloomington Minnesota Travel and Tourism the official destination marketing organization for the city of Bloomington, Minn.

Ep. 75: Deck the Mall

Ep. 75: Deck the Mall  [12/18/2024]Clayton Omberg, Mall of America’s Internal Maintenance Manager, joins this episode to take us on a visual tour of Mall of America’s holiday décor.  Dan, Chris and Clayton share stories of what it takes to decorate the largest Mall in America and how they did it in record time this year.  Spoiler alert, 5 nights to decorate 5.2 million square feet!  They share stories of their favorite décor, nerd out on how many trees, bulbs, giant toys and miles of hanging twinkling lights they install and share some of their favorite holiday traditions along the way. 
2:55 How long it takes to decorate Mall of America4:40      Atrium décor description—Enchanted snowflakes, Nutcrackers + large Jack in the Box11:00   Decorating Nordstrom Court + hidden Easter Eggs on the giant bulbs13:42   Rotunda décor including 2-44’ tall tree’s with 1,200 branches16:30  10 miles of twinkling lights hang throughout.  What happens when a bulb burns out?18:55  Holiday décor by the numbers23:26  The science and plan of taking the décor down and the massive storage unit24:11  Clayton, Chris and Dan share favorite holiday treats, traditions, meals and movies
To learn more about Holiday Decor at Mall of America visit https://mallofamerica.com/press-release/28114Guests: Clayton Omberg, Internal Maintenance Manager at Mall of AmericaHosts:  Daniel Jasper, Chris GrapPresented by Bloomington Minnesota Travel and Tourism the official destination marketing organization for the city of Bloomington, Minn.

Ep. 74: Elves Unfiltered: Tales from Santa's Helpers.

Trinket and Garland – two of the most important elves from the North Pole – join this episode to shares stories of what it takes to be an elf. They and their fellow elves are a key part of creating holiday magic at The Candy Cane Institute at Mall of America, and for children around the world. Joining them is Mae Keapproth the head elf-wrangler. If you have questions about presents, wrapping, tinsel or the Big Man in Red himself, this episode is for you! Prepare for magic.
3:15 What it takes to wrangle the elves at Mall of America4:20 What is The Candy Cane Institute (CCI) and where do you find it?5:30 A fun description of the science found at CCI8:00 When guests meet with The Jolly Old Elf himself13:00 An explanation of the Wrap-O-Matic machine16:15 Heartwarming stories straight from the elves19:30 A tale of one particularly challenging guest25:40 Two elves and our elf wrangler give life-advice to Santa27:30 A wish for the children of the world
To learn more about The Candy Cane Institute at Mall of America visit https://mallofamerica.com/directory/candy-cane-institute 
Guests: Trinket (the elf); Garland (the elf); Mae Keapproth, Entertainment Manager at Mall of AmericaHosts:  Daniel Jasper
Presented by Bloomington Minnesota Travel and Tourism the official destination marketing organization for the city of Bloomington, Minn.

Ep. 73: One Santa. Two Santa. Red Santa. Blue Santa.

This episode of So Much More is a special holiday treat. But fair warning to parentsif you’ve got little ones tuning in you might want to hit pause. We visit The Santa Experience right here at Mall of America and lift the curtain on magical secrets about the man in red. From magical wishes to meaningful moments, you will want to sit back and enjoy this conversation with Santa Sam, Santa Herman, and Santa Larry.
1:00 Getting to know Santa Sam4:10 The importance of matching energy7:15         Why we should strive to lead with love8:25 A message from Santa Sam9:10 An introduction to Santa Herman11:00 As Santa Herman says in Spanish, “Feliz Navidad a todos y cada uno.”12:40 How to respond when a child asks for a live reindeer17:15 The one, the only, Santa Larry20:45 Surprising his nephews for Christmas23:30 The magic of meeting with children25:00 Santa’s wish for the children of the world
To learn more about The Santa Experience at Mall of America visit:Website:  www.TheSantaExperienceMN.comInstagram:  @TheSantaExperienceMN   Facebook:  The Santa Experience MN
Guests: Santa Sam, Santa Herman, Santa LarryHosts:  Daniel Jasper
Presented by Bloomington Minnesota Travel and Tourism the official destination marketing organization for the city of Bloomington, Minn.

Ep. 68: Glossy Brands Finding Inspiration in Beauty and Fashion

Jill Manoff, Editor-in-Chief of Glossy and Global Editorial Director for Glossy Brands shares everything fashion, beauty, brands, trends + wellness with our hosts. Manoff shares insights into the Glossy Brand, how it continues to grow and evolve, as well as sharing how brands continue to be innovative to meet new consumer expectations. Host Jill Renslow and co-host Sara Johnson engage in the conversation from style to pop culture.
1:00 All about Glossy Brand2:30 The holiday outlook for fashion and beauty – playing it safe6:05 Brands that have entered the physical retail space – think Rent The Runway9:30 How pop culture influences fashion and beauty10:45 Brands that tap into culture and move at the speed of light12:05 Why Glossy resonates so well with its audience13:20 Finding the balance between our expertise and our audience expectations14:45 How Glossy appeals to audiences on different platforms17:00 Trends and leaders in the beauty market22:40 How Jill refreshes during her down time – a sense of normalcy24:45 The need for a mood board and escape the day-to-day grind
You can check out Glossy at https://www.glossy.co/ and the Glossy podcast at https://www.glossy.co/podcasts/. 
Guests:  Jill Manoff, Editor in Chief of Glossy and Global Editorial Director for Glossy Brands; Sara Johnson, Integrated Marketing Director at Mall of America

Ep. 66: Communicating Across Generations with Jen Hellman

From emojis to emails and from phone calls to text messages communicating across generations can be a challenge to put it mildly. And now with four generations in the workplace for the first time, where do you even begin? Well, we have the guest with the answers. Jen Hellman is CEO and President of Goff Public a communications and public relations firm. Jen is a sought-after speaker on the topic of Communicating Across Generations, and during this conversation she explains the different generational expectations and missteps found in workplaces today… and how to correct them.
2:15 Jen explains her origins and early career in communications3:30 How Jen began focusing on communicating across generations5:00 The first time that four or five generations are in the workplace…together6:30 Boomer Generation the generation that began breaking rules, and are work-aholics8:40 Generation X the folks that spanned the analog and computer divide12:00 Millennials the people that are very self-confident; an army of one and authentic14:30 Gen Z the group that is more gender-fluid and value physical and emotional safety18:15 A-ha moments when communicating across generations19:55 Punctuation in text or emails? What does it mean to different generations?23:15 Tips for good communication and making a connection
You can check out Goff Public at: https://goffpublic.com/ 
Guests:  Jen Hellman, CEO & President of Goff Public; Maggie Boedigheimer, Strategic Project Coordinator at Mall of America
Hosts: Jill Renslow; Daniel Jasper
Presented by Bloomington Minnesota Travel and Tourism the official destination marketing organization for the city of Bloomington, Minn.

Ep. 65: Frank Gold, Roller Coaster Enthusiast

Can you imagine riding more than 500 roller coasters? 503 to be exact. And let’s be clear – that’s not riding a few roller coasters a whole bunch of times. That’s riding 503 different roller coasters around the world. My stomach is churning as I write this! 
Our guest, Frank Gold, is a veteran of operating rides for more than 25 years at Mall of America and retired just recently. He’s also an active member of American Coaster Enthusiasts and might just know more about roller coasters than just about anyone. He shares stories of his time at the Mall, his favorite roller coaster adventures, and where his love of coasters began. Join Chris Grap and Brian Spielman, both Mall of America team members, as they go down roller coaster memory lane with Frank Gold.
1:30 Little Franky falls in love with coasters at Queen Anne Kiddieland4:30 Coasters he is looking forward to riding7:00 Ranking favorite coasters9:45 Favorite amusement parks12:10 Why Frank started working at Mall of America17:00 International parks Frank hopes to visit18:25 Frank dishes on a celebrity encounter with Donny Osmond21:20 Nominated for Diamond Service Award in a stretch limo23:50 Frank’s top must-see spots in Nickelodeon Universe for sports fans
Guests:  Frank Gold, 25-year veteran ride operator at Mall of America; Brian Spielman VP of Attractions at Mall of America/Nickelodeon Universe
Hosts: Chris Grap
Presented by Bloomington Minnesota Travel and Tourism the official destination marketing organization for the city of Bloomington, Minn.