WCCO Radio producer and on-air talent Lindsay Guentzel said Tuesday she is leaving the station this week to pursue "opportunities I am going to create for myself."

Guentzel said her last day on the AM 830 airwaves will be Thursday.

This is the second time the 32-year-old Guentzel has left the station in recent months. She quit last fall to do hurricane relief work on the island of St. Thomas, then was hired back in late December.

"I've enjoyed my time at WCCO Radio," Guentzel wrote on her blog. "I've learned so much and can truly say I'm leaving with more than I came in with."

She acknowledged that she's taking a risk leaving a major player in Twin Cities radio like WCCO, but "even with all that fear, there is so much hope. So much excitement about the opportunities I am going to create for myself."

Guentzel said she'll continue to do cooking demonstrations, make television appearances and stay involved in radio along with starting up a weekly podcast.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482