Aired on April 12, 2026

• Technology, Problem Solving, Mentoring

Nearby Nearby came from one woman’s need to find events, activities, and parks for her family to enjoy. The solution didn’t exist so Rhonda Jean started doing research, compiling the data, and building a website. Within two years, that website she built had welcomed 2,000,000 unique visitors who lingered an average of 9 minutes per visit. Clearly she wasn’t the only person who needed this resource. But the website needed to be more than she was able to build herself so she found help to expand it. The platform she’s constructing now with an IT team has attracted interest from international cities but is being built to first serve businesses and rural areas in rural America. There’s no other digital platform like this one so naturally Rhonda Jean’s solution has drawn the attention of highly placed economic development experts. Her journey is a fascinating story of one woman’s tenacity as she solves a simple problem.

Listen in and meet our guest:

Rhonda Jean is the founder of Nearby Nearby, a local discovery platform built specifically for rural communities. After struggling to find accurate, up-to-date information when she moved to Pittsboro, North Carolina, Rhonda began building tools that make it easier to discover nearby businesses, events, parks, trails, and community resources all in one place. Nearby Nearby shows results based on what’s actually nearby, using location and community-verified information rather than paid ads. Rhonda is a rural innovator and community advocate focused on strengthening local economies, civic pride, and community resilience through better access to local information.

“On The Porch” is hosted by Randolph ”Randy” Voller. He is also the publisher of Chatham County Line. Randy welcomes guests to the show who are from the communities of art, academia, business, and politics for friendly and informative conversations. “On The Porch” airs every Sunday at 6 and 11am, then 6 and 9pm on WCHL-FM 97.9. The show also streams on ChapelBoro.com. Current and previous shows of “On The Porch” are posted as on-demand, ad-free podcasts at ChapelBoro.com, Spotify and Apple Podcasts
To be a guest on the show or send us a comment, email: ontheporch@wchl.com