Honey Bee Hill: There’s always a new story to tell on the Mitchells’ podcast
There are no honeybee hives on the Honey Bee Hill property, but there’s a lot of buzzing on Bimbo and Ami Mitchell’s lively podcast, The Honey Bee Hill. It’s a social media platform where they share lighthearted experiences, reminisce about the highs and lows of their life, talk with friends and neighbors, relay local events, observances and even demonstrate some old-fashioned Southern cooking.
They do all this in the midst of their busy lives. Bimbo is manager of Jean’s Lawn & Garden Center and Ami is the regional director for the Tennessee Department of Health.
When Ami first conceived of the podcast idea and pitched it to Bimbo, he was a bit reluctant about participating in it. “I had never even listened to a podcast,” said Bimbo. While he wasn’t a fan of social media, he’s had years of experience talking on the radio and television. “I emcee at a lot of tractor and truck pulls,” he said, noting that he also emcees at the McBurg Community Center fundraisers. After the first trial run podcast Bimbo decided that he enjoyed it and gained enthusiasm for the project. In February the Mitchells kicked off their new podcast and have aired, at the time of the interview, more than 20 podcasts. “It just flows,” said Ami.
It took them time to iron out all the technical issues and acquire the right equipment. “There’s a lot you have to go through to get on the air,” said Ami. A friend sent Ami links to give her the information she needed to jump through the hoops and set it up. Finding the right equipment and acoustics for the broadcast took a little while. Then, Bimbo and a friend built a portable sound room, complete with microphones, a table and chairs that they can set up and take down in a matter of minutes, if they need to go on location. They call it the “purple room.”
The couple has a lot of life experiences to share with others on Honey Bee Hill which covers a wide range of topics. They have also had people contact them about telling their stories on the podcast. “Everyone has a story,” said Ami. Their friends from India shared how some cultural traditions of their arranged marriages are similar to those held in the United States.
In their 30-minute podcasts, the couple has described their unique journey and some of the challenges and successes they’ve had along the way. They married when they were in their 40s, inside a little country church in Bee Springs. Hence, part of the inspiration for the name Honey Bee Hill. One of the first challenges in their marriage they said was blending their families, which included three teenagers. Bimbo has a daughter and Ami has two sons. They now have a granddaughter. Ami said she listened to the stories of other couples who had blended their families and gleaned some good advice. “We were so deliberate in making a family unit,” said Ami. “Twenty years later we can see this plan worked,” she said. One of the challenges for Ami in their new marriage was when Bimbo went horseback riding on Sundays. She had never ridden horses, but said she learned in order to be with her husband on those days.
They recently had a lively conversation with Granny Jean Mitchell, one of their most popular guests, about her brave battle with breast cancer. Another podcast featured three of 12 grown children who were raised by Mama Gentry in Park City. “Bimbo lived there half the time … they do consider him part of the family,” said Ami. An emotional episode aired in October during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Awareness Month. It featured their daughter and the tragedy of miscarriage.
There’s always a new story on The Honey Bee Hill podcast, Ami said. She invited everyone to stay tuned for their upcoming scary Halloween story to be aired on Amazon, Apple, Spotify and I Heart. Go to their Honey Bee Hill Facebook page to find out what’s next in the lineup.
