In this episode of Valley Girl Hour, host Lindsey Whittaker talks with Kimberly Maiden, operator of Pickwick Pub in Woodland Hills and founder of Maiden Community, alongside her right-hand woman and collaborator, Tracy Marone.

Kim shares how Pickwick Pub’s survival during COVID depended on neighbors showing up, sometimes just to buy a breakfast burrito. Plus the moment she realized that same community energy could help other small businesses get back on their feet. What started as a small Facebook group promoting local boutiques quickly expanded into restaurants, service providers, and a growing, vetted directory of businesses, while also building a real friendship network for members.

Kim and Tracy also talk about what it takes to run a fast-growing community behind the scenes, how they choose which businesses are the right fit, and how the Maiden Community continues to evolve now that the pandemic is “over,” but many locals are still struggling.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Pickwick Pub rallied the community to stay open during COVID

• The origin story of “Quarantine Shop” and how it became Maiden Community

• Why supporting local businesses matters even more post-pandemic

• How the group grew from storefronts to a trusted service provider list

• The friendship element: “finding your pocket of friends” in a hard season

• What it takes to run the community (admin work, scheduling, email volume)

• Giving back: “$2 Tuesday,” meal trains, and community donations

• The big vision: expanding beyond the Valley and funding bigger projects

This episode was recorded live in studio at KPCRadio.com in Spring 2023.

Follow along on Instagram for behind the scenes of the show: @valleygirlhour

Hello Valley Girlies,

What a season! First of all I just want to thank you for supporting the Valley Girl Hour. If you are reading this it’s because you think that what I am doing is cool enough to be invited into your inbox a few times a month. If you've listened to an episode, even if only for a few minutes, it means a lot to me and I do not take that lightly. In a world where you can literally listen to anything your little heart desires and you made time for little old moi? Girl, stop.

I know you are probably wondering what is next for The Valley Girl Hour and I do have some news on that front. After much thought and deliberation, I’m wrapping up this chapter of The Valley Girl Hour so I can focus on other projects. The show might come back in some capacity someday, but I’m not 100% sure yet and I’m giving myself permission to let that be undecided.

It is not without reluctance that I am stepping away. This show holds such a special piece of my heart. Before I started recording any episodes, I was just a valley girl who was looking for ways to feel more connected to my community and to tell the truest story of what it really means to be a valley girl. Not only did I want to go beyond the stereotype of “the valley girl” but I wanted to show that you can be a valley girl and be so many other things too. I think the show did that for me and I hope it did for you, too.

I also didn’t expect to walk away from each episode with such a deeper personal understanding of the San Fernando Valley and what life is really like for the diverse populations that inhabit it. And as much as it is diverse, the valley is full of people who are so similar, too. In such divisive times, it is nice to be reminded that at the end of the day, many people just want the same stuff - to feel safe and connected.

The biggest takeaway for me and the coolest part of the whole project was how I got to see the San Fernando Valley from a different perspective. This show just hit the tip of the iceberg but I will never see the Valley the same way and I’m better for it.

What’s next…

Before I step away, I want to make sure every episode lives in one place so anyone can listen anytime. I have five more episodes that were recorded in 2023 at the KPCRadio.com studios that I still plan to publish. You can look forward to one episode a week for the next five weeks, each one showcasing a new valley girl doing something super impressive in the 818. Once those are out, I’ll be done for the time being.

In the coming weeks, the show will continue with guests like Lauren Fractor (which you can listen to now), Addy Gonzalez, Erica Friend, Fabiola Carisoza, Dr. Jessica Mena and Kim Maiden (available tomorrow morning).

Highlights of Season 2

This show really turned out to be something of a love letter to the place I call home. I love getting to the heart of what drives my guests to do what they do and what makes them come alive. Sharing that with this community has meant so much to me and I’ve learned something from each person who joined me behind the mic.

Stephanie from Shift Our Ways Collective showed me what it takes to really get people together consistently to build a community that you can count on.

Tess from Bookish in the Valley reminded me how nourishing it can be to make reading a part of your life and how to use something you love to make new friends.

Alma from Juntas Social talked about the importance of finding home in an unlikely place.

And Veronica from Valley Girl Hiking Club made me see mutual aid in a new light and reinforced that a valley girl can be a multitude of things - what ever it means to you.

Ultimately, there are so many amazing Valley Girls out there who did not get a spot on the show. There just wasn’t enough time to get them all but that means it’s up to us to take this energy of supporting Valley Girls out in the wild. Support your local walking group, mutual aid collectives, urban farms, event planners and organizers, local businesses and whatever else Valley Girls are up to! A lot of the time, it’s women who are behind what makes the community run and so much of it goes unseen and underappreciated. So I hope you’ll join me in getting out there to be a part of things and to notice these women doing cool things for the SFV.

Thank you so much for supporting the show!

xo,

Lindsey

In this episode of The Valley Girl Hour, host Lindsey Whittaker speaks with Lauren Fractor, Lauren Fractor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and founder of Ladies of Los Angeles. Topics included building community and how to nurture meaningful relationships in a post-pandemic world.

What we talk about:

• What inspired Lauren to start a friendship-focused community

• Why making friends as an adult feels so challenging (especially in LA)

• How the pandemic shifted friendship from “making friends” to “improving friendship quality”

• Practical ways to put yourself out there when you’re nervous

• Why women’s community spaces matter — and what men can learn from them

• How a therapist’s lens shapes group culture, conflict, and safety

• What’s next for Ladies of Los Angeles (and the dream of big-scale sponsorship + events)

Follow along on Instagram for behind the scenes of the show: @valleygirlhour

Visit the website for more in-depth interviews and extra content: thevalleygirlhour.com

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Together, they explore how nature, neighborhood, and identity all intersect in LA—from childhood hikes with her dad to creating accessible, community-minded hikes for anyone who wants to show up exactly as they are.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How hiking with her dad inspired Veronica to start the Valley Girl Hiking Club

• Some of her favorite LA hikes so far and the trails still on her personal bucket list

• What it means to “embrace your inner Valley girl” and why she wants everyone to do it

• Common Valley Girl stereotypes and what people get wrong about the Valley

• How and why she built mutual aid into the Valley Girl Hiking Club from the very beginning

Follow along on Instagram for behind the scenes of the show: @valleygirlhour

Visit the website for more in-depth interviews and extra content: thevalleygirlhour.com

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• Valley girl stereotypes and reconnecting to her culture as a first generation Latina.

• What it means to “be juntas”.

• Alma’s ideal day in the Valley.

• New years resolutions, putting yourself out there, and upcoming events to look out for in 2026!

Follow along on Instagram for behind the scenes of the show: @valleygirlhour

Visit the website for more in-depth interviews and extra content: thevalleygirlhour.com

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• Tess’s love of story and why she started Bookish in the Valley

• Silent reading events and how they put a new twist on traditional book clubs

• Where to buy books when you don’t want to support Amazon

• Film adaptations: the good, the bad, the ugly

• Advice for those who want to start their own book club

This episode is sponsored by Bookshop.org, the online destination for independently sourced books. Every purchase supports independent bookstores. Shop the Valley Girl Hour’s favorite reads at bookshop.org/shop/valleygirlhour.

Spread the 818 Love:

Share this episode with your friends!

Follow along on Instagram for behind the scenes of the show: @valleygirlhour

Visit the website for more in-depth interviews and extra content: thevalleygirlhour.com

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• Why urban agriculture?

• Challenges of gardening in Los Angeles including land, water, and the various municipalities in charge of these resources.

• Food deserts – yes, they exist in LA – and the role they play in public health.

• Educational opportunities with SOW including workshops about growing your own food and mutual aid events.

• Plus how you can get involved with the farms in Reseda and Artleta.

Spread the 818 Love:

Share this episode with your friends with this link.

Follow along on Instagram for behind the scenes of the show: @valleygirlhour

Visit the website for more in-depth interviews and extra content: thevalleygirlhour.com

Sign up for the newsletter to get notified when new episodes drop plus get some extra goodies directly in your inbox.

Follow along on Instagram for behind the scenes of the show: @valleygirlhour

Visit the website for more in-depth interviews and extra content: thevalleygirlhour.com

Sign up for the newsletter to get notified when new episodes drop plus get some extra goodies directly in your inbox.