🧩 Speed Puzzling | Part 1: A COVID story

Community, belonging, and solving puzzles (really fast).

LINKS:

• Join the Niche List (our monthly newsletter…er, Nicheletter) and get a special announcement on April 6th
• Have feedback or just want to say hi? Email us: [email protected]
• Want to get into puzzling (you should!)? Start with Springbok, where you can get 10% off your order with code: NICHEPUZZLE10. Shop for puzzles HERE. 
• The 2023 Op-ed by Danté Stewart for the Washington Post, referenced in the episode: After covid, there’s one place I know I can go and not feel lonely

Thanks to our show sponsor, 1440 Daily News Digest. Click here to join the 4 million folks getting great news in their inbox every day (like, Leslie)!

EPISODE NOTES:

While some of us casually work on puzzles over days (or weeks) with family during holidays, some others of us complete puzzles in mere minutes. These folks are called Puzzle People. 

In this 2-part series, you’ll meet a Guinness Book of World Record Holder (Tammy McLeod), professional puzzlers (Sarah Schuler), influencers (Karen Kavett), competitors, and even join Leslie as she tries to complete a puzzle as quickly as possible…kind of. 

But this isn’t just a story about solving puzzles—it’s about how a global crisis sparked new traditions, deepened human connection, and turned an isolating time into a foundation for community and belonging. In this episode, part 1, Niche to Meet You marks 5 years of COVID through the lens of competitive speed puzzling. In a world that often feels fragmented, puzzling remains a reminder that we’re always finding ways to come together—piece by piece.

Thank you to Springbok Puzzles for sponsoring this story. We are so grateful for your support!

ABOUT NICHE TO MEET YOU:

Niche to Meet You is an investigative storytelling podcast about the little-known niche interests. Our work has been featured on Nashville Public Radio and has been seen in the likes of The Guardian and the 1440 newsletter. Our stories introduce listeners to folks involved with things like Warhammer 40,000, Rubik’s cube enthusiasts and competitors, armored combat champions, professional Santas and Mrs. Clauses, and more. It's like if Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Revisionist History teamed up for a Netflix special. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SHOW HERE.

SHOW CREDITS: 

Senior creator/host: Leslie Thompson

Associate Script Editor: Chris Thiessen 

Show theme composed by Abigail Flowers with this arrangement Produced & Arranged by Abigail Flowers, Chris Leidhecker, Kevin Gift

Episode mastering by Kevin Morris

Show artwork created by Rachel Hardacre

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